The Reluctant Diva
by Kayla Belle
Summary: I didn't ask for this. Really, I didn't. Yes, I want to be a wrestler, but I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon. I just wanted to be a normal 23 year old who has this crazy dream of being a wrestler. I certainly wasn't asking for love. Or heartbreak. Or to make mistakes along the way. Is that too much to ask for?
1. Prologue

" _What I love most about rivers is:_

 _You can't step in the same river twice_

 _The water's always changing, always flowing_

 _But people, I guess, can't live like that_

 _We all must pay a price_

 _To be safe, we lose our chance of ever knowing_

 _What's around the riverbend_

 _Waiting just around the riverbend_

 _I look once more_

 _Just around the riverbend_

 _Beyond the shore_

 _Where the gulls fly free_

 _Don't know what for_

 _What I dream the day might send_

 _Just around the riverbend_

 _For me_

 _Coming for me_ "

"I know, I know. . . I look great."

Just kidding - I think. Anyways, this is the beginning of my story. They all have to start somewhere, right? You see, I'm not your typical girl. Sure, I'm pretty, smart, funny, all that jazz, but I'm really a huge nerd that loves comic books and video games. No, I'm not AJ Lee. I mean, she's great and all, even with the whole "crazy girl" thing, but no, that's not me.

I'm Scarlett Reed.

I'm just your typical walking contradiction.

I like to dress up, but I love to dress down even more.

I like to think of myself as a Southern Belle, like my namesake, Scarlett O'Hara, but I do love to get down and dirty with the best of them.

I can drink you under the table and not wake up with a hangover.

Oh, and there's one other thing, something that I love most in the world, something that I love even more than Deadpool comics, Converses, and Luke Bryan.

I am, or I want to be, a Diva. Yes, you read that right- a Diva. I don't mean a diva like Mariah Carey or Beyonce. I mean a WWE Diva, like AJ and Trish Stratus.

There's just one little problem with that, though. . .

The WWE itself. I mean, have you seen the Divas' Division lately? It's just about dead. So many Divas have left the company, and some of the ones that are still there don't need to be there at all. The NXT Divas, like Emma, Paige, Summer Rae, and Charlotte, are amazing, but I think they could use a little Southern Hospitality, if you know what I mean.

I haven't been a wrestling student for long, but I promise you this- I have been working for this my entire life.

I suppose you could say that I'm a little reluctant to continue. Maybe I should just start in the indies and work my way up to the WWE. Then again, maybe just going ahead and jumping straight into WWE would be the best thing for me. Either way, I have to do this. This is my dream, and I won't stop until I reach it.

Oh, sure, there'll be twists and turns, but life is funny that way, I suppose. At least I have my friends there to help me. Tucker, Brielle, and my best friend in the whole world- I love Tucker and Brielle, but this girl here, Willow, is my absolute best friend. She encouraged me to move to Atlanta to pursue my dream of wrestling, and without her, I wouldn't be here.

I'm Scarlett. I am a reluctant Diva, but I promise you this. I WILL be a WWE Diva. This is my story.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Surprise of My Life**

 **January 12, 2014:**

"So guess what, Scarlett? We have a surprise for you!" My best friend in the whole world, Willow, cried. I looked from her to my other friends skeptically. They were my closest friends and roommates and they knew I absolutely hated surprises - they never ended well for me. Narrowing my eyes at them and knowing I was gonna regret this later, I asked,

"What exactly is this surprise? Y'all know I hate them!"

"Oh, we know that," Tucker replied, rolling his eyes. Tucker was my best guy friend, and I always like to joke that if he weren't gay, I would totally date him. "I promise, honey. You will love this one, though, cross my heart." I rolled my eyes as Tucker actually crossed his heart.

"Come sit down and close your eyes. I promise, nothing will go wrong this time, promise!" One of my other friends, Brielle, told me as she pulled me to the kitchen and sitting me down in one of the chairs. Glaring at my best friends, I did as she said, dreading this surprise. Once I closed my eyes, I heard them running around our kitchen and wondered what was going on.

"Can I open my eyes now, please?" I asked.

"Not yet! Just wait a little bit longer, sweetie!" Tucker yelled. I groaned loudly.

After what seemed like forever, I heard them come back into the kitchen and felt someone's, I didn't know whose, hands go over my eyes. I immediately jumped and Willow said,

"Relax, honey, it's just me. Hang on, we almost have your surprise ready!" I could hear the smile in her voice and wished they would hurry up. I tapped my multicolored nails on the kitchen table impatiently while I waited. Finally, Willow took her hands away from my eyes, probably smudging the makeup I had so carefully applied a few minutes ago.

"Guys, my birthday isn't even until tomorrow. Why are y'all doing this now?" I whined. Even if my eyes were closed, I could still picture Willow, Brielle, and Tucker rolling their eyes.

"Because, silly goose," Brielle said brightly, "This is part of your birthday gift! Alright, now open your eyes!"

I opened my eyes and in front of me was a tiny box, wrapped in the Duck Dynasty wrapping paper we had left over from Christmas. I opened the box and inside was an envelope. Looking up at my friends, they motioned for me to open it. They could barely contain their excitement and honestly, I was kind of anticipating what was in the envelope. I opened it up, shook out the contents and my jaw dropped.

"Oh - oh my God. Seriously?! Is this real?!" I screamed. My friends nodded, the biggest smiles on their faces and then they exclaimed,

"Happy early birthday, Scarlett!"

I looked down at the kitchen table and the contents of the envelope that was my birthday surprise. It was tickets to only the biggest thing ever- Wrestlemania 30! I had a ringside ticket, tickets to Wrestlemania Axxess, the Hall of Fame Induction, the _Monday Night Raw_ post-Wrestlemania, and just about everything that WWE had to offer when it came to Wrestlemania. My eyes welled up with tears and I burst out crying. My friends immediately ran to my sides and hugged me.

"Oh, Scarlett, if you don't like the gift, we can . . ." Willow began, but I cut her off.

"No, you guys. I don't like the gift. I freaking love it! I mean, my God, how did y'all even pull this off? All of this has to be at least a thousand something dollars or more! But there's only one ticket, though!" I mean, I loved the fact that I got a ticket to Wrestlemania, but I would feel bad going by myself.

"Silly girl, do you really think we'd send you to New Orleans to party by yourself? We already have our tickets, girl! We saved all of our money, then pitched in to buy our tickets. Yes, they were expensive, but the cost doesn't matter, just as long as you enjoy it!" Brielle said, beaming at me. I smiled back at her and then hugged my friends.

"Thank you so much, guys. This is the best birthday present I've ever gotten. Seriously."

"Wait, it gets even better!" Tucker exclaimed, bringing out another tiny box.

I eagerly opened it and found another envelope inside. I ripped open the envelope to find another ringside ticket to "Monday Night Raw" tomorrow.

"Oh my God, this is way too much, y'all! But I love it! I really do! Oh, we have to pack if we wanna get there on time!"

"Way ahead of you," Willow said as she waved her hands in a "no worries" way. "I already packed your bags and there's a car downstairs waiting for us. Ready?" I eagerly nodded my head and went to put my Wrestlemania stuff up in my room, making sure it was in a safe place, and before joining my friends downstairs. Willow handed me my purse, which had my wallet and passport in it.

"Wait, why do I need my passport?"

"Honestly, Scarlett. Do you really think we'd be driving to Rhode Island? Do you know how far that is from here?" Tucker said, rolling his eyes. _Oh. Oops. Blonde moment_ , I thought, with a mental facepalm.

"Right. I forgot about that," I said with a laugh. We all piled in the car and drove to the airport. Once we got there, we made our way through the lines, which took forever, before we were finally on a plane to Providence, Rhode Island. While on the plane, we talked about who we were all looking forward to meeting once we got there.

"I don't know about y'all, but I can't wait to meet Seth Rollins. That man is all kinds of trouble, but so damn fine! I'm serious!" Brielle said excitedly. We laughed at her for her silly crush on Seth Rollins. I mean, the guy was hot, yes, but he was part of The Shield! They have decimated everyone in the WWE ever since they showed up at Survivor Series in 2012! They were bad guys to say the least, but then again, who doesn't love a bad boy?

"You want trouble? I wanna meet Randy Orton. Now that's trouble right there," I said with a laugh.

"He may be trouble, but ooh, those blue eyes and that cocky smile of his! Makes me wanna apply for the job of putting the baby oil on him," Tucker grinned as all kinds of dirty thoughts ran through his mind.

"Oh Tucker, you'd have a better chance with Darren Young than Orton," Willow said.

"He is pretty good-looking too, he's not my type. Besides, he has a boyfriend," Tucker said, waving his hand dismissively. "Miss Willow. You haven't said who you're looking forward to meeting."

"Oh that's easy. CM Punk. I mean, I know he's dating little miss crazy AJ Lee, but seriously, he's pretty hot."

"You really think so?" I asked. I honestly didn't know Willow likes guys like CM Punk. Growing up, she was into country boys that could party and hold their liquor, not tattooed straightedged bad boys.

"Yea! CM Punk is pretty damn hot, and believe me, I could show him a good time that wouldn't involve drinking or anything like that."

"Oh, really now?" A male voice asked, startling all of us. We turned around in our seats (first class, thankfully - my friends know how to spoil a girl on her birthday), and our eyes bugged out of our heads. I would have laughed at Willow's fish out of water expression if I hadn't been staring open-mouthed at the man standing in front of us. Standing at 6'2", wearing his "Best in the World" t-shirt, ripped jeans, black Converses, his signature black hoodie, covered in tattoos and his lip ring gleaming in the light, was none other than Phillip Jack Brooks himself, better known as CM Punk, "The Best in the World."

"Well, don't stop on my account," he told us, flashing a lopsided smile that had everyone melting. "Go on. I wanna hear you tell your friends how you could show me a good time. Which one of you said it?" We all managed to point to Willow and she meekly raised her hand. We were all completely dumbstruck to have CM Punk being this close to us and actually talking to us, even if he was teasing.

"Oh. What's your name?" he said to Willow, who was too starstruck to say much. Leaning over, I pinched her arm. She jumped and rubbed her arm, glaring at me. "Ow! You bitch!"

"Hey, the man asked you a question. You were too busy staring at him to talk, so I snapped you out of it!" I snapped at her.

"You were staring at him too," Willow whined. She looked back up at CM Punk and managed to say,

"My name is Willow. Willow Stafford." She smiled at him and he returned the smile.

"Well, hello, Willow. I think you know me already, but I'll introduce myself anyways. I'm Phil Brooks, better known as CM Punk. It's nice to meet you," he said, extending his hand. Willow took his hand and shook it.

"It's-it's nice to meet you, too."

"Now, who are your friends, Willow?" he asked, looking at us. I spoke up first.

"My name is Scarlett Reed," I said, sitting up a little straighter in my seat. CM Punk looked at me and smiled.

"Scarlett. Pretty name. It's from _Gone with the Wind_ , isn't it?"

"It is, actually. My parents and friends said I have her tenaciousness and her temper. These guys say I'm a big flirt like she was at the beginning of the story, but I don't see it," I said, tucking a stray strand of auburn hair behind my ear. CM Punk cocked an eyebrow at that, but dismissed it.

"I'm Tucker Hudson. I'm actually straightedge like you, sir."

"Oh don't call me sir, I'm not that much older than you guys are," Punk said. "That's actually pretty cool to meet another straightedge person. And you are?" His attention was on Brielle and the poor girl looked so nervous.

"I-I'm Brielle Grey. I am what you would call almost straightedge. I don't smoke or do drugs, but I do drink sometimes. Is that alright? I mean, I know what straightedge means and all, but-"

"No, it's alright if you like to drink sometimes. That whole thing with the "straightedge means I'm better than you" was a storyline. I'm not that much of a jerk, and I won't judge people on what they like to do or don't do. Now, Willow," Punk said, turning his attention back to Willow, who blushed to the roots of her chocolate brown hair.

"Are you ever gonna tell your friends how you're gonna show me a good time?"

Willow opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, and then opened it again. I had to stifle a giggle at the fact that CM Punk was putting my usually confident, outspoken best friend on the spot and she had no idea what to say, so I stepped in to save her.

"She was, but she wasn't expecting you to actually show up and scare the bejesus out of us. None of us were. I think she may have forgotten now that the real thing is in front of her," I told him. Punk looked at me and I think something melted inside me.

 _He has really pretty brown eyes_ , I thought. "Hmm. Maybe I should leave, then? So she can get her thoughts back in order?"

"I don't think her thoughts are gonna be in order for a while, uh. . ." Tucker said.

"Phil. Just Phil. Don't call me Punk or anything like that. That's all in the ring and on TV. Off screen, I'm just regular old Phil Brooks."

"Okay. Phil. I don't think she's gonna have her thoughts in order anytime soon. I do know what would make her, and all of us happy, though," Brielle said.

Phil sighed, sitting down in the empty seat across from us before motioning for us to bring him whatever for him to sign. We all reached up into the plane's compartment and got our bags that had our autograph books in it, quickly grabbing our phones as well. He signed all of our books and took individual pictures with us, then we asked a passing flight attendant to take a group picture. Naturally, I posted it up on my social media sites with the caption: "Just met cmpunkwwe on the plane to #mondaynightraw #wwe #freakingout #bestbirthdaypresentever briellebby19 scarlettohara21 t_hudson23 willowst18". Phil sat with us for a while longer, and then he motioned for Willow to come with him to his part of the first-class area. We all gaped open-mouthed after her as she walked behind Phil, and she turned around to give us a thumbs-up. After she left, we immediately began gossiping about what had just gone down.

"Oh my God, I can't believe that just happened! I mean, here we are, talking about the wrestlers we're gonna meet, and one of them overheard our conversation!" I said, still in disbelief.

"I know, right?! I can't believe CM Punk- oh sorry, Phil- asked Willow to go back there with him. I hope he doesn't try anything. I don't think AJ would like that. I know she may not be crazy in real life, but if my man was flirting with someone else, I'd go a little crazy too," Tucker replied.

"I don't think they're actually dating, though. I mean, yea, they seem perfect for each other, but I don't think they are. I think that's just a rumor. If they are, Phil's not talking about it. I read that he blocks people on Twitter for asking him about him and AJ." Brielle remarked.

"I wouldn't blame him. He already has to deal with being on TV all the time, always on the road, and people constantly bugging him about stuff that he wants to keep private. If I were a Diva dating someone, I would definitely want to keep that part of my life private," I told them.

"Unless you were on _Total Divas,_ which you have said you wanted to be on if you were a Diva," Tucker pointed out. I rolled my eyes.

"I know that. Maybe not even then. Besides, I wouldn't wanna be a Diva, anyways. They get treated like shit and end up leaving. Look at Phil's exes: Lita, Maria, and Beth Phoenix. Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Maryse, Eve, and even AJ's best friend, Kaitlyn, got treated like shit. They either left on their own terms or got fired. There's no way I would ever wanna be part of that freak show," I pointed o.

"Oh, come on. Scarlett. You being a WWE Diva is all you've talked about since forever, and we've known you long enough to say that. You're even training for it!" Brielle exclaimed.

"We remember seeing you come home all sore and banged up from practice, the wads of paper in the trash can with ring outfits on it, seeing you constantly watching wrestling videos on YouTube to learn moves, you asking us what persona we think you should take on, what theme songs you should have as your ring music, everything!" Tucker replied.

 _Damn_ , I thought. _They really do know me_. I looked down at my multicolored nails and then back up into the faces of two of the three people who knew me better than anyone in the world. "I- I don't know. I don't know why I do it. I know it's a long shot, and I know the Divas get treated like shit in the WWE, but maybe, just maybe."

"Oh, sweetie, if you became a Diva, that would be amazing! Really, it would. You could become one of the greatest Divas ever!" Brielle, ever the optimist, exclaimed.

"If they use me, that is. If I get picked, I have to go to The Performance Center, and then I'll have to work my way up to the main roster, if I survive The Performance Center."

"I have a feeling you would get picked. I've seen you give speeches in class at school. You have the talking skills, you're gorgeous, resilient, and you can kick some ass. Seriously, I think you should definitely rethink this whole Diva thing," Tucker said, laying his hand on mine.

"I just don't know. Really. I don't. I mean, on the one hand, it sounds fun, but on the other hand, it really doesn't. I'd miss you guys way too much because I'd be on the road a lot, there's so much work involved just to get into The Performance Center, and again, even if I do make it to the top, I might get misused to the point where I quit."

"I don't think that will happen." The familiar voice had us jumping out of our seats and we turned around to see Willow and Phil standing behind us.

"How long have you been standing there, Phil?" I asked, mentally checking Willow over. She seemed to be all in one piece- no sex hair, no hickeys, and clothes still in the right places.

"Long enough to hear that you maybe wanna be a Diva, but you don't. The only thing I can tell you is to go for it. Sure, you could fail, but at least you know you've tried. Look at me, I felt like I had gotten misused so many times while I was wrestling, I wanted to up and leave. But I didn't. You know why? Because I'm stubborn as hell and I fight like hell for what I want until I get it. Look where I'm at now- former WWE Champion, main eventer, one of the top people in the company. Granted, I'm not like John Cena or Randy Orton, but I'm me, and that's all that's kept me alive in this company. So, if you wanna be a Diva, Scarlett, get off your cute ass and go do something about it. I'll even help you. I'll train you myself, if that's what you want. Also, I know what you're wondering. No, I didn't have sex with Willow, and yes I'm dating AJ. I know I block people for asking about us, but I mean, I would like to keep some private parts of my life private," he said matter-of-factly.

"Hmm. Alright. Well, if you're serious about training me, how can I contact you to set something up? I'm from Georgia, and you live in Chicago, so that's definitely a long ways away," I replied.

"Don't worry. Here, give me your number. I'll text you and let you know. In the meantime, keep training on your own. If you really wanna do this, get up and do it. Don't wait around and let it pass you by." I gave Phil my phone and he punched his number in and then texted his phone so he had my number.

"Thank you. Seriously. I think I'm gonna take you up on that offer one day, Phil. Good luck in your match tonight!" I said happily. My friends echoed the same sentiment and he gave that same half-smile that I'm sure drove AJ nuts. Well, even more nuts than she already was. He replied with,

"Luck is for losers. But thanks, anyways. I'm guessing you guys are going to the show?"

"We are. My friends bought me ringside tickets for my birthday today and they even bought me a Wrestlemania travel package, too!" I gushed, not even caring how fan-girly I sounded right now.

"Cool. Well, happy birthday, Scarlett. Enjoy the show tonight, guys. I'm gonna go get some sleep." With that, Phil left us to go back to his seat. We watched Phil leave and we all collapsed in our seats.

"Oh my God, I don't think our day can get much better than that. I mean, meeting CM Punk? Him offering to train me? Damn! I would've been happy with just the tickets!" I said with a laugh.

"So, Willow, spill! What happened back there?" Tucker asked, getting right to the point.

"Well, we just talked, really. Mostly I talked about Scarlett and you guys and how we all love wrestling and such. I did tell him how you wanted to be a Diva, but you were scared because of how all the other Divas get treated, and then he mentioned that he wanted to talk to you about breaking into the company. He talked about AJ a little bit, and he told me she's really not that crazy in real life, but other than that, he didn't really say much. He's not much of a talker," Willow finished lamely, knowing the gossip was not as juicy as we would've liked it. We smiled at her and she smiled back. She exhaled deeply and I knew she had been nervous going back there to talk to him alone.

"As long as he didn't try anything with you, or I would've put the GTS on him," Brielle threatened, eliciting a laugh from all of us. It was funny to imagine itty bitty Brielle, with her barely scraping five feet tall and her bouncy coppery curls, putting the GTS on big, bad CM Punk.

"Please. The only physical contact he made with me was when he gave me that crappy one-armed quick hug guys usually give girls when we were getting ready to come back over here."

"Hey! I give great hugs!" Tucker exclaimed, feigning a look of shock and hurt.

"Oh Tuck!" Willow said, giggling. Tucker started laughing and then Brielle and I joined in.

We spent the rest of the night talking and laughing until it was time for us to land. We quickly packed up all of our things and landed soon after. It was 3 in the morning when we landed and we were all pretty sleepy, so after we got our luggage, we went to our hotel and checked into our room. My friends had managed to score a suite for us and we all had separate beds, which was awesome. Not really bothering to do anything else, we quickly got ready for bed to get some sleep. We had a big day ahead of us tomorrow and we didn't wanna be tired and grumpy. Before I went to sleep, I noticed I had a text on my phone. I quickly unlocked it and noticed the text was from Phil.

"I'm picking you up at 10am from your hotel. I got you a meeting with Creative to see about getting you in the business. By the way, happy birthday again. -Phil."

Oh yes, this was certainly the best birthday present ever. I laid down on my really comfy hotel bed and dreamed about winning the Divas' Championship at Wrestlemania and maybe making out with Randy Orton a little bit.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Best. Birthday. Ever.**

 **January 13, 2014:**

I woke up at 9am that morning.

"Oh, yea. This is gonna be a good day. I can feel it," I said to myself as I got up and got ready for the day. I dressed in my favorite dress- a knee-length dark blue body-con dress that everyone said really brought out my blue eyes and hugged my slight curves in all the right places. It was sexy but classy- perfect for a potential job interview. I put on my favorite black stilettos and put my hair up in a fishtail braid, making sure no strand of hair was out of place. I then put on my makeup- classy, but with a hint of sexiness, consisting of a gorgeous cat eye and a pop of red lip gloss.

"Perfect," I said to my reflection before going to wake up my friends. As they were getting up, Willow looked me up and down.

"What? It is my birthday. I can dress up if I want to."

"Yea, but it's a little much just to go to a live show, though. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Telling who?" Brielle walked in wearing her "Believe in The Shield" t-shirt and her pink Supergirl pajama pants, and her copper curls were all over the place. It made her look like a baby lion. I swear, sometimes she could be so adorable and not even notice it.

"Our friend Scarlett here is all dressed up, but we don't have to be anywhere until later this afternoon. She was just about to tell me why," Willow told her, smiling at our little baby lioness. Tucker walked in just then, wearing his dark blue pajama pants and an Uncle Si t-shirt. Tucker may be gay, but the boy loves him some _Duck Dynasty_.

"Well, since you're all here, I might as well tell you," I explained while reaching for my phone. Unlocking it, I showed my friends the text I got last night from Phil. As expected, they freaked out.

"Oh my God! Phil wants you to go to the arena today?! Seriously?!" Tucker squealed.

"Yes! That's why I'm all dressed up! He's picking us up in an hour to take us to the arena so I can talk to someone in Creative." They all looked at me open-mouthed.

"Oh my God, Scarlett. You may have to talk to Triple H, since he's the new head of Creative. You better bring your A-game if you wanna impress him. Seriously," Willow remarked. I hadn't even thought of that. Talking to Triple H? "The King of Kings" himself? I'm usually pretty confident, but he intimidates me, and I've never even met him.

"I'm sure I'll do alright. I always bring my A-game. Southern Belles aren't scared of anything or anyone, even if he is 'The King of Kings,'" I told them, trying to psych myself up. My friends looked at me and responded,

"Let's hope so." With that said, my friends went back to their rooms and got dressed for the day.

After leaving our suite, we went downstairs to the hotel Starbucks to get breakfast. As we were sitting down to savor our scrumptious breakfast, my phone rang. My eyes widened at the name on the caller ID- it was Phil.

"Pick it up!" Tucker whisper-yelled, shoving my phone at me.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's the birthday girl! Good. I was hoping to get ahold of you before you left. Listen, I have something to tell you about your meeting," Phil said. My heart immediately started racing and I became a little more nervous than I already was.

"Wh - what is it?" I asked nervously.

"You will be meeting with Creative, mostly Triple H. You can bring your friends along with you, but they can't go in the meeting. You may want to pack your training clothes because they may ask you to wrestle against one of the Divas. Don't worry, they won't go full force at you - unless it's AJ, then I don't really know." Phil gave a short laugh.

"Anyways, once you've been interviewed and maybe after you've wrestled, they'll let you know later tonight, like maybe an hour or so before the show. Stephanie is supposed to show up tonight 'cause they're doing another "Authority" thing. They'll speak with her before they'll let you know whether or not you're in. Alright?"

"Y -yes. That's alright with me. Wait, where am I supposed to go?"

"I'll pick you and your friends up from your hotel in 15 minutes. We'll drive over to the arena."

"That'll work. I'll text you the address of the hotel we're staying at."

"Okay. See you in a bit."

"Alright. See you in a bit." After I put my phone down, I let out a breath that I hadn't even known I was holding.

"What is it? Scarlett, what's going on, honey?" Willow asked. Looking into the piercing green eyes of my best friend, I replied,

"That was Phil. He's gonna pick us up at the hotel in 15 minutes and take us to the arena. Y'all can go with us to the arena, but not to my meeting. I'll be meeting with Creative and . . ."

"And who?" Brielle asked. I looked at her and she understood. "Oh. Triple H himself! Oh, wow. That's huge!"

"Yea. It is huge. Oh, jeez, guys, I'm nervous. I've never been nervous in my life!" I exclaimed, putting my head in my hands and sighing before telling them what Phil told me. My friends got up and hugged me, reassuring me that everything would be fine. Finishing off our coffee and breakfast, we left Starbucks to go back upstairs; I texted Phil the address on the way.

Once we got to our room, I packed my clothes quickly but carefully. My ring gear consisted of a pink and aqua blue top that showed off my toned abs, short shorts of the same colors, and my black knee-high wrestling boots that had a small TARDIS, a design of the Deathly Hallows from Harry Potter, and a small Avengers logo (I'm a huge nerd, I know). I also had a t-shirt that my friends had made for me. It was a black V-neck shirt, and on the front, it said "Scarlett," and on the back, it said, "Not Your Typical Southern Belle." I always wore it over my wrestling top. The outfit I was going to wear to the show was my gray Randy Orton "The Viper" t-shirt, dark blue skinny jeans, my gray Toms shoes, and a black CM Punk "Best in the World" hoodie.

About 15 minutes later, my phone rang, as expected.

"Hello?"

"Hey. It's Phil. I'm downstairs in the lobby. You guys might wanna hurry up before the people figure out who I am and they start to mob me."

"I thought you liked doing stuff like that- signing random autographs and stuff," I pointed out.

"I do, but I'm kind of pressed for time, so hurry up. I'll come back later on tonight and sign stuff if I can."

"Alright. We'll be down in a bit." Calling out for my friends, we hurried downstairs to where Phil was waiting for us. He was wearing an outfit similar to the one he wore yesterday, but this time, he was wearing a Chicago Cubs baseball cap, a Killswitch Engage t-shirt, and sunglasses. He raised an eyebrow at our clothes, particularly mine.

"Nice dress, Scarlett."

"Thank you, Phil."

"You guys look pretty good, too. Come on, let's go." Phil held the door open for us and we walked to his rental car, a black Toyota Camry. We got in and he drove us to the arena. The ride over was pretty silent, except for the radio on the Sirius XM radio channel "Octane." We got to the arena and Phil helped me get my bags out of the car. We made our way backstage where everyone was rushing around, making last minute preparations for tonight's show.

I saw crewmembers putting together the stage, catering setting up the food for the Superstars and Divas and the trainers talking to other trainers and the Superstars and Divas. It was pure chaos and it was astonishing.

I looked back to see my friends staring open-mouthed at everyone. They were excited, but nowhere near as excited as I was. Phil led us to an office in the back and my jaw dropped when I saw the name on the door. It read: "Triple H, COO and Head of Creative." Phil looked at me and said,

"Trust me, I was pretty intimidated myself meeting him. Then I beat the shit out of him a few times and I was fine with it. You'll do fine, I promise."

He knocked on the door and I think my eyes about bugged out of my head, because Triple H was standing in front of me. He was really tall, even taller than Phil and boy, did he cut a daunting figure in that really expensive suit. He didn't look like he was gonna beat anyone with a sledgehammer - yet. He smiled down at us before turning his attention to Phil.

"So, is this the potential Diva you wanted me to meet?"

"Yea, Paul, it is. One of her friends," Phil replied, pointing to Willow, who honestly looked like she was about to fall over, "was talking about how she wanted to be a Diva, but with the way things are going now, thanks to your father-in-law, she's not too sure. I wanted you to light a fire under her ass and make her see that this business isn't all bad and that it might be a long shot, but she'll never know unless she tries. Who knows? She might be great. Maybe. I have a match to get ready for tonight. So what do you want me to do with her friends?"

Paul scratched his chin and then replied,

"They can come in." He then motioned for us to step inside his office and we all walked in, scared to death. Phil lifted his hand in a wave before turning to leave. Paul then closed the office door.

"So." he boomed, making us jump. "Which one of you is the potential Diva?"

"I - I am, sir. My name is Scarlett Reed," I replied, raising my hand. Paul nodded before going to sit behind his desk.

"Ex - excuse me, sir?" Tucker asked anxiously.

"Yes?"

"Forgive me for this, but I honestly feel like you're gonna hit us all with a sledgehammer in a second. Also, you don't look comfortable in a suit and tie sitting behind a desk. You seem like you'd rather be out there, getting ready to kick some ass." There was an awkward pause for a long while before Paul burst out laughing.

"Yes. You're right. I definitely none too comfortable doing this, and I'd much rather be out there getting ready to kick some ass, but I can still kick some ass in here. I may need to so I can fix this mess that my father-in-law made. Don't worry, I'm not gonna hit anyone with a sledgehammer." We all breathed a sigh of relief at that. I then spoke up.

"Like Phil said earlier, I do want to be a Diva. I've been training for it for about four years, but I'm still skeptical on whether or not I should continue. It's simply because I have heard about all of these Divas leaving for whatever reason and I don't want to end up like them. I know some of them are coming back, but it seems like a lot of them are doing bigger and better things now that they're not in the WWE, being someone's valet or just being misused in general. I hate to say it, sir, but honestly, half the Divas here can't really wrestle and all the ones that left could. The Divas aren't how they used to be- they aren't like Lita or Trish Stratus or Mickie James. Those girls were beautiful and they could really wrestle. The Divas now seem to be content with being on their own reality shows or being made up to look pretty and not expected to wrestle, or too busy skipping around the ring, acting like a complete psycho."

"Hmm. Well, it seems to me you're a bit reluctant, and I wouldn't blame you. This is a hard business. You could be billed as the next best thing one hour, and out the door the next hour. Yes, I agree that we have a dying Divas' Division, but we are working hard to fix that. We have a really good crop of Divas in NXT now that have real potential. Maybe we can add you to the list."

"Maybe so, sir. I have a question for you, though. How many of those NXT Divas will actually make it to the main roster? And how long will they stay? How will they be used? Are they actually wrestling, or are they learning to be someone's valet, running away whenever something threatens them? I wouldn't mind being someone's valet, if that's where I have to start, but I do want to actually fight back if something happens. Like, say, I'm CM Punk's valet and The Shield comes down to the ring and starts to beat him up. I don't want to run away. I want to stay and help. I know that they can't hit me, obviously, although they probably would have during the Attitude Era, but I want to have a chance to equalize things. I wouldn't use a sledgehammer, but I would like to have a chance to fight back."

Paul drummed his fingers on the desk and I sat there thinking, _Great. You just insulted the most powerful man in the WWE besides Vince McMahon and the entire company. Way to go, dumbass._ There was a very pregnant pause and my friends and I started to squirm in our seats a bit. Finally, Paul broke the silence by saying something unexpected:

"You know who you remind me of with that brash and outspoken attitude?"

"Um, who, sir?" I barely whispered, afraid to say anything else.

"Me. I would have and have said something along those lines to my father-in-law before about how he needs to treat his people better and he needs to straighten out his mess before he runs his so-called "precious company" into the ground, like those idiots did to WCW back in the late 90's. You definitely have the full package, Miss Reed. You have the "I don't take any bullshit from anyone" attitude for this business and you certainly have the looks for it. There are a few things I want to ask you to do, but you'll need to wait a moment. My wife, Stephanie, and a few others will be joining this meeting in just a moment. Now, you three are her friends, right?" Paul asked.

"Let me ask you a question. How serious is your friend about being a Diva?" Brielle spoke up first. I couldn't believe she was speaking up first. She gets starstruck pretty easily and being in a room with the great Triple H had to make her highly nervous.

"Extremely serious. I remember her coming home to our apartment for the last four years sore and banged up because of her training. She drives us all nuts asking about what her theme music should be, whether she should be a face or a heel, whether she should be a high-flyer or a ground wrestler. Although, she's a really good high-flyer. We've seen her wrestle.

"Our trash cans are full of wadded up paper with drawings of ring outfits on it. When she's not at wrestling school, she's home watching wrestling videos on her computer, tablet, or phone, learning moves. She watches her matches constantly to learn where she went wrong, to make herself better. If she's not doing that, then she's at the gym working out. If not at the gym, she's at school getting her bachelor's degree in nursing. She's very dedicated and very stubborn. I think she would make an amazing Diva. It's up to you guys as to how to unlock her potential and use it to the fullest extent. That's all I have to say about that, sir."

Paul nodded and then asked,

"Anyone else have anything to say?"

"I think our friend Brielle summed everything up pretty well, sir. Scarlett is dedicated, beautiful, very tenacious, and persistent. Before she came up to Atlanta, she was working at home, doing every job imaginable, saving up money to come to Atlanta just so she could go to wrestling school. She does an excellent job balancing her crazy schedule without cracking. I think that's a skill that is needed in this company - learning to go with the flow without going nuts. We have seen her wrestle, and she leaves everything all out in the ring. If she wants something, she goes for it with everything she's got. Yes, she's a little reluctant to continue, but if you guys would give her a chance, she wouldn't let you down. She would do everything possible to be a Diva and she would be an amazing one," Willow added.

I had to stop myself from crying in the middle of this potentially life-changing meeting. I was just so overwhelmed at how my friends saw me and I felt so loved that they loved me that much to do this for me.

"Alright. What about you, sir? What do you have to say about your friend Scarlett here?" Paul asked Tucker. Tucker almost jumped out of his seat; he was that anxious around Paul.

"I honestly don't have anything to add because it would be something similar to what Willow and Brielle said, sir. Scarlett is the most determined person I know, and she is certainly a great wrestler. When they said she leaves it all in the ring, she really does. I remember the day after her first show at her school, she couldn't move for about a day and a half, she was that sore. The day after that, she got up, went to school, and went to wrestling school, ready to go again. She then came home, did about two hours' worth of homework and then headed to the gym and worked out for two hours. She is what you guys need in this company, and if you guys don't pick her, you'll be missing out big time."

I gasped softly at what Tucker was saying. I was amazed at these people. I know they're my best friends, but they're really going above and beyond their call of duties right now. I made a mental note to give them all giant bear hugs later on tonight, regardless of what happens in this meeting. Paul nodded as he listened to them and was about to speak when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

The door opened, and our eyes widened at the people who came in. It was Stephanie McMahon, followed by Pat Patterson, Michael Hayes, and the boss man himself, Vincent Kennedy McMahon. **Oh, hell.** I knew these two men were familiar because I had heard my mom and step-dad talk about them and I had seen them on TV before.

Pat Patterson was the first Intercontinental Champion and Michael Hayes was part of an old wrestling stable called "The Fabulous Freebirds." I remembered my step-dad saying that they used to call Michael Hayes "Miss Michelle" and I always thought it was hilarious. I did have to stop myself from saying that out loud, though. Stephanie and Vince walked over to Paul while Pat Patterson and Michael Hayes sat down in the chairs across from us.

"So, I heard that we were meeting a potential Diva today," Stephanie said. "Which one of you is it?" I stood up and extended my hand for her to shake.

"I am, Mrs., um . . ."

"Just call me Stephanie. Mrs. McMahon is my mother, Linda," Stephanie said, shaking my hand. The men reached out their hands and I shook theirs as well.

"I'm Pat Patterson. You may call me Pat, Mr. Pat, or Mr. Patterson."

"I know who you are. My parents talk about you all the time whenever they talk about the wrestlers of the past. I know you're the first Intercontinental Champion. I think that's a pretty big honor. And I know you are Michael "P.S." Hayes, part of the "Fabulous Freebirds." I've seen some of your old matches on the wrestling DVDs I have. You were a pretty great wrestler. You both were, and it's an honor to meet you both."

"Well, thank you, little lady," Michael Hayes said.

"It's also an honor to meet you as well, Stephanie. You were definitely a kick-ass Diva when you wrestled and you certainly don't take any bullshit from anyone." Stephanie smiled.

I walked over to Vince and I swear to God, I was shaking in my stilettos. Vince stood up and shook my hand firmly. Ow. I was gonna feel that in the morning.

"Ms. Reed, I'm Vince McMahon. I hope you'll be a great addition to this company," Vince said, smiling kindly. For a second there, he seemed like the sweet grandfather Stephanie and Paul's kids know. Then I remembered that this was the same guy who had been trying to screw over Phil since 2011, possibly the reason that his son left the company, and the same man that literally beat his own kids on national TV. _Tread very lightly around this man,_ I thought.

"Thank you, sir. I hope so, too, but it is up to you guys to decide that."

I walked over to the couch and sat down, trying very hard to keep my composure.

"So, Paul, I understand that this woman was brought to you by Phil?" Stephanie asked. Jeez, this woman was formidable, and she wasn't even talking to me yet. She was her father's daughter, all right.

"Yes. Phil brought Scarlett and her friends here after they met on a plane on the way here yesterday. Scarlett feels a little uneasy about being a Diva, what with the mess that your father's making in this company, and, to be honest with you, I don't blame her. But I have heard her and her friends have said about her. I'm almost convinced, but I wanted you guys to come in and talk to her as well. See what you all think." Stephanie nodded before turning her attention to us, making us squirm uncomfortably in our seats.

 _I'm definitely not in Leesburg anymore_ , I thought.

Vince spoke up just then.

"I may be making a mess of this company, but don't put this all on me. You two are helping to bring it down, as well. Now, are we going to have this meeting, or what?" I gulped silently. Triple H may be the COO, but Vince still ran things. All of us, including Pat and Michael, squirmed in our seats. Stephanie gave her father a dirty look. Paul just raised his eyebrows and smirked. Stephanie regained her composure then, and said to me,

"Usually, whenever we have a meeting with potential Superstars and Divas, we ask them to give us a quick promo before we interview them. However, my husband is the new Head of Creative, so we will defer to him. Paul?"

"Well, I thought the interview went over well. I want to hear your best promo, Miss Reed. What name do you wrestle under at your school? Also, what school do you attend and who are your trainers?"

"I train at WWA4 School in Atlanta under Mr. Hughes. I usually just go by Scarlett when I wrestle. I don't really have any ring names, but if you want, you can suggest some for me."

"I think we'll just hear you talk as Scarlett for now, if that's alright with you," Vince said gently but commandingly. I nodded and then stood up. I closed my eyes, took three deep breaths, and then I was in my zone. I opened my eyes.

"I'm Scarlett. I may be a Southern Belle, but believe me, I can get down and dirty like the best of them. I know what you're thinking - "Oh, she's just another little girl who's scared of messing her hair up or breaking a nail." Oh, I'll break a nail, alright - once I've broken your face. I'll mess up my hair, too - after I've messed yours up from pounding your face into the mat. After I get through with you, you'll never be the same again. So, if you wanna underestimate me, go right ahead. 'Cause while you're doing that, I'll be pushing you to your limits and breaking you seven ways to Sunday." I stood there for a little while, almost shaking in my stilettos, when Stephanie walked over to me.

"You, Miss Reed, definitely have what it takes to make it in this company. Your promo needs some work, but we can fix that. You seem to have the total package, but there is one thing we need to ask of you."

"Yes, ma'am. What is it?"

"I would like you to wrestle one of our Divas before the show tonight. It won't be a dark match or anything like that, we just want to see where you're at in terms of your skills. Then we can proceed to make you into a Diva. Did you bring any clothes with you?" Stephanie asked.

"I did, Stephanie." I fought to keep my voice under control. I couldn't believe it. I was one step closer to being a Diva.

"We'll give you a half-hour to prepare. We'll set up a song for your entrance theme and then you will have a match with one of our Divas. For your safety, we'll tell them not to go full force."

"Actually, Stephanie, I have a better idea." Stephanie looked at me with raised eyebrows, and me being me, I rushed ahead before I could think to talk myself out of it. "I want them to go full force at me. I know it's for safety reasons, but I can take it. I want to treat this like a real match. How else are you gonna see the full extent of what I am capable of?"

Stephanie opened her mouth, and then my closed it again. Turning around to the men, she asked,

"What do you think? Should we give her what she wants?"

Giving their consent, she turned back around.

"Well, it looks like you've got your wish, Miss Reed. You will get your try-out match, and it'll feel like a real match for you. Two questions- do you want to pick the Diva, or should we? And is there a particular song you use for your entrance music?"

I considered this for a moment. There were plenty of Divas that I could really get my hands on, but there were some I wasn't sure if they even should be there in the first place. After a few moments, I had my answer. I smiled at everyone and declared,

"I want to face the Divas Champion, AJ Lee." They, including my friends, all widened their eyes at this.

"Are you absolutely sure, Miss Reed?" Stephanie asked. I nodded.

"One hundred thousand percent, Stephanie. I want to take on AJ Lee."

"Alright. Is there a song you use? You can always pick any song you want instead."

"There is a song I used at school- it's called "Hell On Heels" by Pistol Annies, but I wanted to use "Fastest Girl in Town" by Miranda Lambert."

"We can do that. If you all will follow me, I will give you a quick tour of the arena before taking you to the locker room," Stephanie said as she opened the door to lead us out.

"I have one last question," I said.

"What is it?" Stephanie wanted to know. I took my phone and my autograph book out of my bag.

"Do you mind?" I asked with a nervous smile. Stephanie sighed and shook her head.

"Wow. You're definitely the first to ask for an autograph and picture after a meeting. Alright, we will give you autographs and pictures, but we do have to go soon."

"Thank you so much!" We gave everyone our books so they could sign them, and then we took pictures of and with them. I made sure to send the pictures I had taken of Pat Patterson and Michael Hayes and the picture of us three together to my mom and step-dad; they were so gonna freak out when they saw that. We walked out of Paul's office and Stephanie led us around the arena, showing us where everyone was, where the stage was and just everything. It was awesome. Vince left to go make some business calls, but told Stephanie and Paul that he would be in the Sky-Box watching the tryout. I tried not to think about **that** little gem. On the way to the locker room, Stephanie said,

"After your match, we're going to let you guys go backstage and you will be allowed to ask them for autographs and pictures."

"Thank you, Stephanie." Turning around to my friends, I looked at them. "This is the best birthday ever. Seriously. Best. Birthday. Ever. I wasn't expecting any of this to happen, but it did, and it's thanks to you guys! I love you so much and this wouldn't be possible without y'all! Come here!" I opened my arms and we all embraced each other, full of "I love you's" and "We weren't expecting this either!'s". I turned back around to my potential bosses and ducked my head.

"Sorry. I was thanking my friends for giving me an amazing birthday present."

"It's alright. Happy birthday, Scarlett," they told me. I beamed at them.

"Thank you! Now, is this the locker room area?"

"Yes it is. This is where most of the Divas are for tonight. Obviously, the "Total Divas" and AJ have their own locker rooms, but most of them are in here. I already asked them all to meet me in here, so are you ready?"

"Yes. Yes, I am." Stephanie opened the door to the locker room and we all walked in. Once again, we all got starstruck. In this room were, well, the rest of the Divas' Division. On one side of the room, I saw The Funkadactyls, Naomi and Cameron, practicing their moves for their routine tonight. On another side, I saw Eva Marie and Summer Rae talking to Alicia Fox. And then there was AJ sitting on a bench, playing on her phone. _She doesn't seem so crazy_ , I thought _. She seems tiny, almost as tiny as Brielle. Then again, she may rip me limb from limb, ending my career before it's ever started._

"Ladies, may I have your attention, please?" Stephanie said with authority (get it?). All movement in the locker room ceased. Jeez, the woman can control a room. She motioned for me to come forward.

"Ladies, this is your potential new coworker. Her name is Scarlett Reed. Scarlett has just had a meeting with us and we are letting her wrestle a match before the show tonight. One thing, though. She and her friends want autographs and pictures first." The Divas all walked over to us, even AJ, and we spent the next ten minutes taking pictures with the Divas and getting their autographs. After that, Stephanie cleared her throat.

"Alright. Down to business. For Scarlett's match, she has requested that she face the Divas Champion," Stephanie informed, looking at AJ. It was clear that there was no love lost between the two of them and it made me wonder if AJ really is crazy in real life. AJ walked over to us and looked me straight in the eye. I wasn't that much taller than her and I was thankful I was wearing heels so I could look down at her.

"Oh, really, now? You want to face me, noob? Are you stupid?" AJ asked, turning her head to the side like she always did right before she went ballistic on someone. I suddenly felt scared, but I dared not to let it show. Stephanie placed her hand on AJ's shoulder and gave her a threatening look. Mustering all the confidence I had, I stood straighter and looked down into those crazy, soulless brown eyes. What does Phil even see in her? Honestly. I know he said he digs crazy chicks, but damn. This girl is a few French fries short of a Happy Meal.

"Noob? We're not playing a video game, sweetie. I may be new, but I'm pretty sure I can kick your ass. That is, if you're not scared. Oh, and for the record, I'm pretty damn good at video games, too." You could slice the tension in the air with a knife. All of the Divas were watching us, wondering how this was gonna play out.

"Me? Scared? You're looking at the Divas Champion. I'm the one who is carrying this division on my back, not those "reality stars." I am the reason that anyone wants to watch the Divas, no matter what **they** think," AJ sneered as she pointed to the _Total Divas_ girls, who were understandably fuming by this point.

"I can drop a pipebomb just like Punk can, and you know what? People are starting to respect me now because of it. They've learned to respect me and not write me off as some itty bitty geek girl. So to answer your question, Scarlett, no. No, I'm not scared to fight you. I'll kick your ass before going back to being the best Divas Champion in the world. Now, if that's all, I might as well go get ready for my match that I'll win." I had to roll my eyes at AJ's blatant catchphrase rip-off. AJ started skipping to the door and just as she opened it, I stopped her.

"Respect? You don't know the meaning of the word "respect." These people don't respect you just because you're the Champion and you dropped a pipebomb," I said, walking towards her. I could see some of the Superstars stopping in front of the door to listen, including Phil. Great. He was gonna see me deliver a pipebomb of my own to his girlfriend.

"They are scared of you. No, not even scared. They're wary of you. Everyone wonders when you're gonna snap. They don't respect you because you don't respect them. For a little girl, you're getting a little too big for your britches, as we say in the South. You may be the champion, but that can be taken away from you in a heartbeat, by any one of the women in this room, including Stephanie.

"Yea, I think that you're an amazing wrestler and you could be one of the greatest Divas ever, if you weren't busy being crazy. I watched you go from the "geek Goddess" that everyone wanted to be best friends with on NXT, to Daniel Bryan's girlfriend that he treated like crap. Then you decided to be Punk's girlfriend, then there was that whole thing where you got accused of having an affair with John Cena. You slowly went insane as you made your way around the locker room. I mean, look at Dolph Ziggler. He called you worthless, pathetic, a piece of trash. That made you angry-completely justified. Then you turn around and start going out with him. That's something no girl should do, Diva or not. Why would you want a guy who only a few months ago called you a pathetic little girl? You then proceeded to destroy his stuff. I mean, I'd do the same thing, but not on TV. Not the sign of a sane woman. Then again, you're a Yankee from Jersey, so I can see why you get a little intense." I could see that AJ wasn't taking this too well and I noticed Phil standing there with his arms crossed, staring at us. I ignored him and continued, knowing that if I did make it into this business, AJ was gonna make my life a living hell.

"The point is, you can't get respect unless you give it. In order to give it, you have to learn to quit treating these women, including the cast of _Total_ _Divas_ , like they're the trash Dolph thought you were. They are your coworkers, and some of them have probably been around a lot longer than you have. You don't have to be all best friends with them, like you are with Kaitlyn, but you do have to be at least civil to them. Another thing: you can drop all the pipebombs you want, but it's not gonna change the fact that they just happen to be more popular than you are. You had your chance to be on that show, and you turned it down. Seems to me like you're jealous. Oh, and this whole thing about you hiding behind Tamina? That woman could tear your little body limb from limb and take that belt from you. Hell, she could take the majority of us out, Superfly Splash us all and then go hang out with her fine as hell cousin, The Rock.

"You're just a Lita wannabe that is completely batshit crazy. I may be new, but if I learned anything at wrestling school and from growing up, it's this: you have to give respect before you get it. You can't walk all over people and expect them to do what you want. That's how you alienate people, and alienating people is never a good idea, because you'll never know when you might need them to back you up one day. This whole crazy girl thing may be a storyline, but it seems to me like you're taking it way too far. Crazy isn't any woman's color, honey. Neither is jealousy."

I stepped back, just in case AJ went off. In my head, I was like " _Bam. What then, bitch? You're not the only one that can deliver pipebombs_." On the outside, though, I remained calm. I've dealt with plenty of crazy girls, both back home in Leesburg and in Atlanta, although they were never this crazy, fake or not. I sneaked a glance at Phil and he had a half-smile on his face. I looked back down to AJ, who was very quiet. She started getting that look on her face that signaled that she was about to go off and she started pacing back and forth, pulling at her hair. Phil stood outside the door, still watching us. I wondered why he wasn't coming in here to protect his girlfriend from herself or to protect us from her. Then I heard a sound I usually only hear on TV or at games: the Divas locker room was applauding me. All of the Divas were clapping for me, and I looked over to my friends. They were clapping for me as well. I looked over to Stephanie, Paul, Pat, and Michael and they all had looks of admiration on their faces. I swear Stephanie and Paul were even smiling at me.

I sighed and waited for the shit storm I knew was coming my way. Instead I got this: AJ turning around and walking out. Phil stood there for a little while before following her to wherever she was sulking off to. A few seconds later, we heard stuff clattering and crashing outside, along with AJ screaming and Phil trying to calm her down.

"Paul, Michael, Pat, go try to restrain her," Stephanie commanded. Turning to me and the rest of the locker room, she said,

"Well, that was . . . something. It really was unexpected. Scarlett, I would say get ready for your match, but I think AJ's a bit incapacitated at the moment, so you will have to pick one of our other Divas to wrestle against."

"I'll do it." We all looked over to whoever said it. It was Eva Marie. Tall, red haired, and known to get a little too close to guys who were clearly taken, namely John Cena and Tyson Kidd, Eva Marie was a little too much trouble for her own good, even if she was married.

"Hmm. I wasn't expecting you to volunteer. You're still learning the ropes yourself. But if you really want to, go get ready. You have a half-hour, both of you. Good luck. I will be watching at ringside along with Paul, Pat, and Michael, Miss Reed." With that, Stephanie left. I exhaled deeply. Willow took my hand and led me to a bench where I sat down, still panting.

"That was the ballsiest move I have seen anyone make, and that's saying something coming from me." I looked up to see who had said that. It was Nikki Bella. She was definitely ballsy, that's for sure. She managed to get John Cena, of all people. She even got him to let her move in with him. She had to be stubborn and ballsy as hell.

"She's right," her twin sister, Brie, agreed.

"I've always wanted to say something to Little Miss Crazy for a long time now, but you beat me to the punch. I hope they do pick you, 'cause damn girl, you put her in her place. You need to be here and honestly, we'd love to have you. I think you'd be a great addition to the Divas division." All the other Divas agreed with her, and then Eva Marie added,

"I agree with them. You would be an amazing addition to the Divas. Only thing left is to see how you wrestle. I'll give you a few minutes to get ready." She picked up her bag and walked to her locker room to get changed.

"We should go too. Let you get changed. Hey, you guys are her friends, right?" Nikki asked. Willow, Tucker and Brielle nodded. "How would you like to meet my man?"

"Oh my God, yes! Yes! Yes! A thousand yeses!" they all exclaimed.

"Whoa, easy guys. She asked if you wanted to meet her man, not mine," Brie laughed. "But I'll take you to meet mine too. They should be hanging out together somewhere. Come on."

"Don't worry, Scarlett. We'll let you meet John and Bryan after your match. We'll be watching from ringside." She motioned for my friends to go with them and the rest of the Divas followed them out, wishing me luck. After they left, I sighed. I was alone in the middle of a WWE arena, about to have my first match. Granted, it wasn't a dark match or even a real televised match, but I would take it. This was my shot at being a Diva. It was like Phil said on the plane yesterday: **"You want it, get off your ass and do it. Don't let it pass you by."** I kept this mantra going through my head as I changed into my ring gear and fixed my hair and makeup. As I walked out of the locker room, I heard a deep male voice say,

"Hey. That was a pretty good job you did back there."

I turned around to see Randy Orton staring down at me. Wow, he was even better looking in person. He had on one of his t-shirts, dark blue jeans, and a pair of Reeboks. Those ice blue eyes were staring right at me and I felt like I was being mentally undressed. It both enthralled me yet made me uncomfortable.

He had his arms crossed, emphasizing his large biceps and many tattoos. I managed to look up at him without breaking my neck - I mean, honestly, the guy was a foot taller than me! I also had to keep myself from jumping him. Hey, just because he was divorced did not mean he was any less sexy.

"Th - thank you. I kinda thought so too." I shifted my weight from foot to foot, suddenly feeling like I was naked. I just met this guy and he's making me nervous! _Get it together, Reed_ , I thought.

"I'm Randy. And you are?" he asked, extending his hand. I took it and thought he was going to shake it, but instead he turned my hand over and kissed it, like a real gentleman. Oh, please. Everything that I knew about Randy Orton - and I didn't know how much of this was true - pointed to him definitely not being a gentleman.

"I'm Scarlett."

He held my hand for a tad longer, stroking the back of it with his thumb before releasing it. I swear I felt electricity course through my hand.

"Scarlett. What a pretty name. Like Scarlett O'Hara, right?"

"Yes. My parents named me after her. They say that as I got older, I became as tenacious and stubborn as she was. My friends tell me that I'm a big flirt like she was, but I honestly don't see it. The stubbornness, yes, definitely. The flirty part? No, not really. I mean, I'm friendly with guys and stuff, but I don't like hang all over them and act like a slut to get their attention. That's not how I was raised."

Randy flashed that signature crooked smile of his at me and I smiled back on instinct.

"Well, that's good that you were raised right. I hope to see a lot more of you, Miss Scarlett. Good luck in your match," Randy said, leaning down to kiss my hand and then he bowed to me. Seriously. The Viper actually bowed down to me like he was Rhett Butler from _Gone with the Wind_. Just like Rhett, I knew he was trouble and that I should stay the hell away from him.

"Thank you, Randy."

I turned to walk to gorilla and peeked my head out of the curtain. I saw the announcer's table being set up and the ring technicians putting the final touches on the ring for tonight. I looked over to the ringside area and noticed all the Divas sitting there with some of the Superstars. On the first ringside row, there were three guys sitting on the barrier. I couldn't really tell who it was. Maybe they were friends of Eva Marie's or maybe some of those reporters who write for the spoiler sites. I smiled when I saw my best friends sitting next to the announcers' spots. My smile kind of faded when I saw Stephanie, Paul, Pat, and Michael sitting in the announcers' seats. John Cena was sitting in the timekeeper's area, spinning around in a chair, making Nikki laugh. _Dork_ , I thought.

I stepped back and proceeded to stretch out a little and psych myself up for my match.

"Hey." I turned around and Eva Marie was standing behind me. At that moment, I really wish I wasn't so short. Granted, I wasn't short as Brielle, but jeez, I hated being so short that I had to break my neck looking up at her.

"Hey. What's up?" I asked, stretching out a little more.

"Nothing much. Just wanted to wish you good luck in your match out there. I know what it feels like to be the new girl, and it's kind of intimidating, but you'll get used to it. At least if you get in, Summer and I won't be so new anymore," Eva said with a small laugh.

"Thank you. I'm kinda hoping I get in. My only problem is how can I stay? I know that the Divas division is dying out, and well, I don't know. I'm just gonna take it one day at a time and go from there," I told her, stretching one final time.

"That's a good way to look at it." Eva Marie looked like she was going to say something else, but her theme music hit and she strutted out, giving me a smile beforehand. I watched her do her entrance and noticed how confident she was, even though she was still new to the business. I moved along to the music until it cut off, signaling that she was in the ring. I stepped up to the curtain and waited for my music to hit. I heard the first strains of Miranda Lambert's "Fastest Girl in Town" and I felt adrenaline coursing through my veins.

 _"Ain't no use in trying to slow me down_

 _'Cause you're running with the fastest girl in town_

 _Ain't you baby?_

 _I like 'em crazy!"_

I walked out, still a little nervous, but determined not to let it show. I put my hand on my hips, gave a cocky smile and blew a kiss to my audience, a la Maria. I kind of strutted down to the ring, almost dancing like Summer Rae, but not quite. I slid in the ring and jumped up on the turnbuckle, waving to the audience and blowing them another kiss. I almost stopped when I noticed the guys sitting on the barriers. It was The Shield.

 _What are they doing here?_ I thought. _Never mind. Wrestle first, ask questions later._ I jumped down to meet the referee and Eva Marie, holding my hand out for her to shake, and she did.

The ref motioned for Cena to ring the bell, and I giggled when Nikki had to punch John in the arm to get his attention.

"Oh sorry, ladies!" John yelled. Everyone rolled their eyes and laughed.

John rang the bell and I got in my zone. Eva Marie and I locked up a few times, but then I came up with a knee to her gut, knocking her down. Instead of waiting for her to get back up, I gave her another knee, this time to her shoulder. I pulled her up only to clothesline her. This time, I waited for her to get up. She started to charge at me, but I took her and Irish-whipped her to the ropes. I then stood up on her back, pulling the top ring rope up and giving a primal scream a la Melina.

"One, two, three, four!" the ref counted. I wouldn't let him get to five because I'd be disqualified if he did. I jumped off her and started pacing the ring like a feral cat stalking its prey, waiting for her. As soon as she turned around, I speared her. Edge, Kaitlyn, Goldberg and Roman Reigns would've been proud. I went for a pin.

"One, two-" and I felt Eva Marie kick out. How the hell did she kick out of that?! _No matter. Keep going_ , I thought.

I got up and started slapping her, backing her up into the ring post. I got up on the corner and started hitting her and I could hear the audience counting as I landed each hit.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine . . . ten!" I got down and she managed to push me on my back. I did a quick kip-up and did a leg sweep, knocking her back. I went for a pin again, making sure her shoulders and legs stayed down.

"One, two-" Dammit! She kicked out again! Alright, time to bring out the big guns. I flipped her on her stomach and did a camel clutch on her. Unfortunately, she managed to crawl to the bottom rope and grab it. I held on for a second longer, then I let her go. I pulled her back and went for my submission move, The Southern Cross, which involved me stepping on the back of her knees and rocking back onto my back, stretching her arms back. I could hear her screaming and the audience yelling at me to continue, so I crossed her arms behind her back and crossed my legs around hers. My ankles intertwined with hers, making sure she couldn't go anywhere.

"Do you quit?!" the ref yelled. Eva Marie couldn't do anything but scream, so I tightened the pressure on her a little bit more, and finally, I could hear her scream,

"Yes! I quit! I quit!"

The ref motioned for John to ring the bell, signaling the end of the match. He rang it and I unlocked my grip on Eva Marie, pushing her on the ring mat and doing another kip-up to meet the ref.

I saw my potential bosses stand up and applaud me, along with the rest of the audience. I smiled when I saw my friends jumping up and down, clapping and cheering for me. The ref held my hand up and I blew a kiss to the audience. I took a bow, then got up on the ring post and encouraged my audience to keep it up. As I celebrated, I saw The Shield still staring at me. It looked like Dean Ambrose was saying something to the other two and I was wondering what it was. I jumped down to pull Eva Marie up and held up her hand as a sign of good sportsmanship. I pointed at her and she did the same before we hugged each other.

"That was a good match," Eva whispered.

"Thank you." We broke apart and she clapped for me, along with the audience. I got out of the ring and walked over to the announcers' table where Stephanie, Paul, Pat, and Michael were standing. I took a deep breath waited for my fate.

"That was one of the best matches I have seen in a while. I have never seen a rookie with that much talent, ever. The way you managed yourself and not getting frustrated when the momentum wasn't in your favor was impeccable. Really. You have the poise and stamina of a true Diva, Miss Reed!" Stephanie exclaimed. I gasped and smiled.

"Thank you, Stephanie. That means a lot coming from you."

"That match of yours was a really good one. You didn't really make any mistakes, Miss Reed. Your entrance does need a bit of work, but that can be fixed very easily. Your in-ring technique was spot-on. I really loved how you left it all in the ring and you didn't really give your opponent any time to fight back. You just kept going and wearing her down. That's one of the things we look for when we recruit our Superstars and Divas," Paul told me.

"Thank you, Paul. Coming from the Cerebral Assassin, that's pretty cool."

"With that, Stephanie and I would like to welcome you to the WWE, Miss Reed. Can I get a mic, please?" Paul asked a ring tech. The guy turned one on and then handed it to Paul. He tapped it a few times and then announced,

"Ladies and gentlemen, meet your new Diva, Scarlett Reed!" The audience clapped and cheered. My friends then rushed me, jumping up and down as they hugged me. They were yelling about how happy they were for me, and honestly, I was still trying to process it myself.

After they let me go, I walked over to Paul and Stephanie. "Um, I have a question."

"Yes? What is it, Miss Reed?" Stephanie asked.

"Well, since I'm a new Diva, when do I report for training?"

"We will have everything set up before contacting you soon. Right now, enjoy your win, and get cleaned up because we have some finishing touches to do before we can get you in NXT. Come back to my office and we'll get all of your information so we can get you set," Paul informed. Nodding, I then shook their hands. They walked backstage and I turned around to face my friends.

"Is this real? Seriously? I feel like I'm gonna wake up in a minute back in my bed, waiting for Raw to come on tonight. This can't be real," I said breathlessly.

"It's really real, honey! You made it! You're a WWE Diva now, Scarlett! You're not dreaming and we couldn't be happier for you," Willow said proudly, hugging me. I hugged my best friend tight before Tucker and Brielle joined in. When we broke apart, Tucker told me,

"I'm so happy for you, sweetie. I feel like I just watched you graduate or something; I'm that proud of you. This is everything you worked for and now you have it."

"Thank you, Tuck. This is amazing. It hasn't sunk in yet, but it might later, I think. Oh my God, that was something!"

"I loved your match! You were awesome! They were right- you really left it all in the ring, Scarlett. This is why you're a Diva now- then again, you've always been a Diva. It just took you a while to get here. You're here now, so enjoy it," Brielle chirped, hugging me tightly. I hugged her back. As we turned to leave, I noticed The Shield staring at me still.

"You guys go back. I'm gonna go talk to them real quick," I said, pointing to them.

"Are you gonna flirt with Seth Rollins?" Brielle asked. I crossed my arms and gave her a look.

"And if I do? Besides, I just wanna find out why they keep staring at me. They didn't even clap or anything. They just sat there and watched. It's a little unnerving."

"Really? You just competed in front of some of the biggest names in the business and you're nervous around The Shield? I mean, I know they're like the baddest guys on TV, but they're probably not that bad in real life. They were probably out here watching the new girl. They were new themselves not too long," Willow said matter-of-factly. My Willow - always straight to the point with this girl, never beating around the bush.

I considered this for a moment before replying,

"Yea. You're probably right, but I'm gonna go talk to them anyways. I'm just saying, if you're gonna come watch someone wrestle, you should at least look interested."

"Well, as long as they don't triple powerbomb you, you should be fine," Tucker laughed. Rolling my eyes at him, I left them to mingle with the Superstars and Divas.

Walking over to them, I noticed Seth Rollins standing in front of the barrier. He was actually really good-looking, even with his half-blonde, half-brown hair. He cocked his head and looked down at me.

"Hi. You're the new girl, aren't you?" Seth asked. I looked up at him and noticed he had pretty brown eyes, about the color of molten chocolate. I noticed the other guys, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, staring at me as well, but I was entranced with Seth. He was what I liked to call the "daredevil" of the group. Dean was the "loose cannon" while Roman Reigns was the "muscle," obviously.

"I am. I'm Scarlett."

"Scarlett. Nice. I saw your match. It was pretty good. You have this feral quality about you. I loved how you kept attacking Eva Marie and not letting her get up."

"I leave it all out in the ring. Go big or go home, right?"

"Yea. That's exactly right. The way you wrestle, it's got a very, ah . . ."

"Shield-like aspect to it?" Dean Ambrose supplied. Seth turned to look at him and nodded. I raised my eyebrow at this. The Shield actually liked the way I wrestled?

"Yea. A Shield-like aspect. You could definitely be a Hound of Justice, Scarlett. That is, if you believe. Do you believe in The Shield, Miss Scarlett?" Seth asked, leaning down to get close to me and to look into my blue eyes.

"As a fan, sometimes. You're only out for justice. But then again, maybe you're not. Maybe you just like causing chaos. Maybe you like pushing people to their limits, seeing how far you can take them and yourselves," I said as I tried getting closer to him. I could feel him breathing on me by this time and honestly, I didn't want to pull away. Unfortunately, Seth pulled back, standing up to his full height. At least he wasn't as tall as Roman _. Jeez, tall and good-looking must run in his family,_ I thought.

"Hmm. Never heard us described as instigators of chaos before." I jumped a bit and looked up. Roman had spoken. He had a nice accent, much like the rest of his family. Looking over to him, I replied,

"Well, y'all are really good at causing chaos. Especially amongst yourselves. I liked how CM Punk was able to play y'all against each other for a while, making y'all fight to see which one of you was the strongest, the best member of The Shield. But y'all certainly wouldn't let some silly little tattooed guy get in the way of what is probably one of the most dominant stables in recent history, would you?"

"Damn. This girl is good," Dean said. I know, I know - he looked great. I did like how he talked, though - that drawl reminded me of a Southern drawl I've heard many times before, but he wasn't from the South - far from it. "Where are you from, Scarlett?"

"I'm from Georgia."

Dean jumped off the barrier and walked closer to me. He began circling around me, and then stopped just beside me. I could feel his bright blue eyes boring into me, like he was trying to uncover something. I was a little unnerved at the fact that he was so close to me, but I kept my cool, or so I hoped. Something about this guy made me wary. He made me feel . . . naked, almost. I don't know if I liked that feeling or not.

"Southern Belle, huh? You didn't look like one out there," he pointed out as he indicated the ring. "You looked like a girl who could get down and dirty and not give two shits about how she looked."

"There's different kinds of Southern girls. There's some who don't wanna get dirty, and then there's the ones who love getting dirty," I replied as I smirk at him. He smiled back at me and something inside me said that I may need to keep my distance from him - something about him made Randy look like an angel.

"My name's Dean, but my real name is Johnathan Good. You can call me Jon, Johnathan, or even Dean if you want," he said as he held out his hand. I shook it. He made sure to run his fingers across my hand as I pulled my hand away.

 _Jeez. This guy seems crazy_ , I thought. _Crazier than AJ. Maybe they should hook up instead of her and Phil._

I looked at Roman and Seth. I noticed Seth watching me a bit, but it didn't feel like he was trying to mentally undress me and it didn't make me uncomfortable, like it did with Jon. It felt like . . . like he was wondering. About what, I didn't know.

"My name is Leati, but you can call me "Joe" or "Lee." Your choice," he said in that deep rich voice with a really sexy Samoan accent. Sweet niblets, did everyone in his family have accents like this?

"I'll call you. . . Joe."

"That's fine with me," Joe said as he extended his hand.

"I'm Colby Lopez. It really is nice to meet you, Scarlett," Colby said with a smile. _Colby seems really sweet,_ I thought. _What a complete 180 from a guy that's called a "Hound of Justice."_

"It's nice to meet y'all, too. So about this whole "Hound of Justice" thing. What, are y'all recruiting or something? You need a woman's touch in the group?" I asked, being my usual sarcastic, smartass self. I wasn't expecting anyone to answer; it was a smartass comment.

"Maybe. We were gonna talk to Paul about getting a new guy in the group, like the Wyatts did with Bryan, but he decided that we needed a Diva. He did say we could pick. We were gonna pick AJ, but with her track record of destroying guys, we decided she was a little too volatile for us. If we're gonna disband, it'll be because of one of us, not a Diva," Jon said.

"AJ is too volatile for the Shield? You're not exactly a bastion of mental stability, Jon." I replied snarkily.

That got a laugh out of Colby and Joe. Jon replied,

"Honey, I'm a whole different breed of crazy. Little Miss AJ ain't got shit on me."

I looked at him and told him,

"Oh, really? Then how come Batman kicked your ass last week, Joker?"

"Nice one, Scarlett," Colby said as he smiled at me. _No wonder Brielle has a crush on him, I thought_. _He's actually pretty sexy up close_. I smiled back at him.

"That was one time. It's not gonna happen again. So if I'm Joker, what does that make them?" Jon asked, jerking his thumb back towards the other guys. It seems he's going along with this.

"Hmm." I thought about it for a bit, and then replied,

"I wanna say Superman for Joe 'cause of your Superman punch, but I think you're Black Adam. Colby is Nightwing."

"Sa-weet! Nightwing's pretty badass," Colby said as he fist-bumped the air.

"I know he is. Ooh, I can pick you guys out for Marvel characters, too," I replied.

"Sure. Who are we?" Joe asked.

"You're Cable. Colby is Daredevil. And Jon? Well, you're the best one of all- Deadpool." Jon smirked at that one.

"I kinda figured that one," Jon said smugly.

"So back to a female Hound of Justice. What about your cousin, Tamina?" I asked Joe.

"We thought about it, but I want to make my own name, not piggyback on my family's fame, and plus she's busy being AJ's bodyguard. So she's out. She can still kick my ass, though," Joe said with a chuckle.

"I like to joke about that whenever you wrestle the Usos. I'll say "I wonder if they do that at family reunions?" My stepdad likes to say that y'all start fighting and then Tamina will come in and Superfly Splash y'all, and then The Rock will come in and put the People's Elbow on all of y'all, with y'all's dads watching. That is, if they don't get involved themselves," I laughed.

"Oh, Uncle Rikishi will get involved sometimes. Afterwards, he'll do his lame dance and then we eat," Joe chuckled. We all laughed at this and then I told them,

"I wanna finish this conversation, but I gotta go to the back and get cleaned up. I'll catch y'all later?"

"Sure," they said. I turned to leave and noticed Colby walking next to me.

"May I walk you back to the locker room?" he asked.

"Sure. You don't have to, but yea, you can."

We walked in silence for a little while, and I took this time to check him out. He was wearing a Deadpool t-shirt, which made me jealous - Deadpool was like my favorite Marvel superhero, a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, and a pair of black Vans. His hair was up in his usual pre-match hairstyle, a ponytail with the end tucked in the ponytail holder, and he was wearing a Glamour Kills snapback. I was beginning to see why Brielle had a crush on him – he was pretty hot for someone that hasn't done anything but cause chaos since his debut last year.

"What are you doing, sizing me up? I can take you, you know," Colby told me, snapping me out of my inspection. I laughed.

"Yea, you wish. I can kick your ass. No, I'm trying to figure out a way to take that amazeballs Deadpool shirt from you," I replied. Reaching up, he took it off and wow. He was built. He wasn't super skinny, but he wasn't really muscular, like John Cena was. He was just right.

"Here." Colby handed me the shirt. I stared at him, mouth agape. I swear, I looked like a cartoon character with the way my mouth was hanging open.

"I - I was kidding, Colby. That's my way of saying I like it. Jeez, you didn't have to actually give me the shirt. You can put it back on. I'll just order one off the Internet, or I'll just go to Walmart and buy one," I said while pushing the shirt back to him. He stood there for a moment, considering this. Finally, he shrugged, but didn't put the shirt back on.

"Alright, but if you can't find one, this is yours, okay?"

"Ah - okay. Sure." Wow, this really was a weird birthday. We walked in silence again with Colby calling out to the Superstars and Divas arriving, and me wondering what the hell could possibly happen next. We reached the locker room and I grabbed the door handle.

"Well, this is me, Colby. I'm gonna go get cleaned up," I said. I smiled up at him and he smiled back. Jeez, even his smile was kinda cute. "You should smile more. It's kinda hot. Oh, shit, did I just say that out loud?" Colby laughed and damn if I didn't like the sound of his laugh, too. Brielle was gonna be mad if she found out I was developing a crush on Seth freaking Rollins.

I blushed and he replied,

"Aww. I made the new girl blush. That's cute. Although it's kinda hard to smile when you're causing chaos and pushing people to their limits, now isn't it?"

"Some people smile at that," I pointed out.

"True. Don't worry, Miss Scarlett." Colby told me, lifting my chin up so I could meet his eyes. "I'll try to smile more, at least around you. Hey, I heard it was your birthday. Hell of a birthday present, isn't it?"

"Hell of a birthday present, yes. I was perfectly fine with getting tickets for tonight's show and to Wrestlemania. I didn't expect to meet CM Punk on the plane over here, nor did I expect to be made into a Diva tonight. Life's funny that way, I suppose."

"Life is definitely funny sometimes. Well, I'll leave you to get cleaned up. Feliz cumpleaños, Scarlett," Colby said in his deep voice. Ooh, the Spanish was definitely a nice touch. Whoever said French was sexy had never heard Seth Rollins speak Spanish. He leaned down to kiss my cheek and I giggled because his beard tickled me.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing's funny, Colby. It's just when you kissed me, your beard tickled me, that's all."

"Ah, okay. See you later." Colby kissed me on the other cheek and then he left. As I watched him leave, I thought to myself: _Damn, he's even got a nice ass!_ Walking back into the locker room, I quickly stripped and showered.

A few minutes later, I was back in my dress and heels, but my hair was now in curls around my shoulders. I walked quickly back to Paul's office and knocked on the door. Stephanie opened it and motioned for me to come in. I walked in and sat down in the chair across from the desk. I noticed Vince was sitting in the chair next to me and I tried not to freak out.

"Ready, Miss Reed?" Vince asked me.

"I think so, sir," I replied honestly.

"Alright, since we're all here, let's go ahead and get started," Paul said as he slid a black leather cover to me. I knew what this was - it was a contract. This was real. This was happening to me, of all people. I looked over it for a while, before looking up.

"After I sign this, nothing's gonna go to hell in a handbasket like it usually does with contract signings, is it?" I deadpanned. Stephanie, Paul and Vince started laughing.

"No. Definitely not, Miss Reed. The contract signings behind closed doors are usually a lot more civilized and a lot less intense than on TV," Stephanie told me. I nodded.

"Just checking," I smiled. I signed the contract and gave it to Paul.

"Congratulations, Miss Reed. Welcome to the WWE. We hope you will love it here." Paul extended his hand. I shook it, then Stephanie's, and finally Vince's.

"Thank you all so much for this chance! I promise I won't let you down and I will work very hard to prove that I can be a great Diva."

"We have no doubt in our minds that you will. So go on and enjoy the show tonight, Miss Reed. We'll contact you soon about getting you to NXT," Stephanie told me.

"Thank you. I do have a question, though. What about my schoolwork? Are there colleges near The Performance Center, or will I have to put college on hold?"

"There are colleges near The Performance Center. We will talk to your current school about having you transfer so you can go to school in Orlando and come work for us, as well. You will not have to put college on hold at all," Paul replied.

"Alright. But what about if I have tests or finals?"

"We can talk to the new school. If you have a test or a final on a day we need you to come in, we will see if you can take it the day before or we will allow you to go to school that day and take the test. Vickie Guerrero and Xavier Woods are getting college degrees while working with us, and so can you. We have faith in you, Miss Reed," Vince told m **e.**

Well, that settled it. If Vince McMahon had faith in me, then I was doing pretty damn well. Now, as long as they don't bury me like they did to Drew McIntyre, then I'll be fine.

"Thank you so much." I walked out of the office and a short way down the hallway before jumping up and down, doing a little victory dance.

"Nice moves. You planning to take Summer Rae's place as Fandango's dancer?" I turned around to see Phil standing there with his arms crossed, smirking.

"Ha. Funny. Smartass. No, I am celebrating. I am now officially a WWE Diva!" I exclaimed in a sing-songy voice, doing my best spirit fingers move.

"Nice spirit fingers, Scarlett."

"Oh yea? Here's a spirit finger for ya," I retorted, flipping the bird at him. That made him laugh and I laughed with him.

"I'm not the only smartass around here, I see. So congrats. I kinda figured that out after the match you had."

"How'd you know what kind of match I had? I didn't see you out there. Figured you were trying to calm AJ down still."

"I got her calmed down a while back. She's back at the hotel room eating some burgers and reading the comic books she stole from me."

"Nice. I'd be mad if someone stole my comic books. Anyways, how did you know what kind of match I had?"

"I was up in the sky box watching you. You are pretty badass, Scarlett. I don't throw out compliments lightly, so feel special."

"You don't even compliment AJ? You're a lame boyfriend," I sassed.

"I compliment her. I just don't compliment other wrestlers very often. You saw how hard of a time I had with mentoring Darren Young."

"That's 'cause he's fabulous and awesome and you're kind of a jerk," I retorted. Phil raised an eyebrow. I didn't expect what came next. Phil walked over and got in my face.

"You know, you've got a bit of a mouth on you. Do all people in the South talk the way you do?"

"Just the ones that don't take any bullshit and actually say what's on their minds. Are all the Yankees as big of a jerk as you?"

"Yankees, huh. I think you got me confused with people like AJ, John Cena, Paul and Stephanie."

"Not at all. If you're north of the Mason-Dixon Line, you're a Damn Yankee." He leaned back and crossed his arms again.

"Hmm. You remind me of someone . . ." Phil smirked. God, he was such a dick! What does AJ even see in this guy? Guess she digs crazy guys.

"If you say AJ, I will smack you. I'm not interested in being compared to anyone, especially your girlfriend!" I snapped, crossing my arms as well.

"Nah. Not AJ. Compared to what you see on TV, she's actually pretty shy. She's still that same "geek Goddess" girl she was on NXT, except when someone flirts with me or looks like they're flirting with me. Then they get the AJ they see on TV. No, you remind me of . . . well, me, really." I raised my eyebrows at this revelation.

"Really. I remind you of you. How so?"

"Simple. One reason is the pipebomb you dropped on AJ earlier. That's something I've done. Another reason is your wrestling style. You have the "take no prisoners" approach. You leave it all out in the ring. I do the same thing. It also seems to me like you have that thirst to prove yourself to people, to show that you're different and you deserve to get a second look. I do the same thing, except it's more of me trying to prove to myself that I really am 'The Best in the World.'"

"Wow. You've known me less than a day and you've got me all figured out, don't you, Phillip? Do you do that with everyone you meet?" I asked, smirking at him. He uncrossed his arms and started walking towards me.

Within seconds, I was backed into a wall with the full 6'2" frame of CM Punk filling my view. Placing his tattooed hands on either side of my head, he leaned down so that he was eye to eye with me. I was tense and I couldn't hide it that well this time. I swallowed hard.

"No." he whispered in my ear. "Just the ones that make a good impression on me." I gasped out a breath as I replied,

"So I've made a good impression on you, Punk?" I was trying so hard not to move closer to him, but my stupid body had other ideas. He looked down at me, our foreheads touching, and whispered,

"Oh yes. I'm definitely gonna like having you here, Miss Scarlett O'Hara."

What happened next was something even more unexpected than Seth Rollins offering me his shirt and kissing me on the cheeks. Phil leaned in and brushed his lips against mine. Once, twice, and then a third time. I was too shocked to do anything, so I did what I always did in situations such as these- my brain played music. Unfortunately, the radio in my head picked "This Kiss" by Carly Rae Jepsen.

Fitting, I thought. I felt his lip ring glide over my lips and I could hear the song playing in my mind:

" _This kiss is something I can't risk_

 _Your heart is unreliable_

 _Something so sentimental_

 _You make so detrimental_

 _I wish it didn't feel like this_

 _'Cause I don't wanna miss this kiss_ "

After a moment of hesitation, I relented and kissed him back. He was actually a really good kisser. I felt his tongue playing with my lips, pressing against them, almost like he was begging for entrance. I breathed out a gasp and his tongue slid in, wrestling with mine. I felt his hands tangle in my hair and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. _So this is what AJ must feel when he kisses her, I thought_. Then, that one name snapped me out of it. **AJ**. We kissed for a while longer before I had to break away. _This was wrong. Really wrong._ I leaned my head back against the wall and took in deep breaths. I could feel my heart pounding hard against my chest. Phil laid his head on my shoulder and I could feel his hot breaths on my neck.

"Wh-what the hell just happened?" I whispered, not trusting my voice to get any louder. I was afraid I might scream if it did. Phil nuzzled my neck before looking up, his chocolate brown eyes almost black with his obvious desire.

"I think it's pretty obvious, Scarlett. I kissed you. Call it a birthday kiss."

"A birthday kiss from a guy who's taken? Do you know what AJ will do to me if she ever found out about it?! She will kill me! She almost ripped your ex's head off at Tribute to the Troops just 'cause she was talking to you. This shouldn't have happened. Get off of me, Phil! I need to go." I struggled against him. Letting go of me, he stood there just staring at me as I fixed my appearance.

"You shouldn't have done that."

"I know." Phil stuffed one hand in his pocket and running the other through his hair and biting his bottom lip. Part of me wanted to be the one to bite that sexy lip. The other part of me wondered why the hell I would even want to do that. He could have me thrown out and claimed I was the one who instigated the kiss. Then my career really would be over.

"So, why'd you do it?"

"I don't know why. Something just came over me."

"Next time you get the urge to kiss someone, go kiss AJ. You know, your girlfriend? The one you're dating because you "dig crazy chicks?" Yea, her. Not me. Got that?"

"What if I wanna break up with her? Maybe I don't dig crazy chicks anymore. Maybe I want someone a little more normal. Someone who's not jealous all the time just because someone called me sexy on Twitter or an ex- said hey to me. I'd love to see what Amy and Beth do to her if she decided to go off on them."

"Yea, AJ's not gonna go off on Amy. That's her idol. She wouldn't risk that." Phil raised his eyebrow at me. His expression seemed to say "Really?"

"Well, then again, she might." I backtracked. "Look, I really do gotta go. Good-"

"Ah, ah, ah. Luck is for losers, remember?" Phil shushed, putting a tattooed finger to my lips. Against my common sense, I kissed his finger. He smiled at that before dropping his hand by his side.

"See you around, Scarlett." Just before he left, Phil stole one more kiss, planting his lips on mine just for a split second. I gasped and he laughed, strolling away. I sighed and turned towards the Divas' locker room. I haven't even been a Diva for an hour, and I'm already getting involved in stuff that's way over my head.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Well, That was Unexpected.**

Later that night:

"So, how did your meeting go?" Willow asked me. We were settling into our ringside seats for the show tonight. I was still a little unnerved by the fact that Phil had kissed me but I knew I had to tell them what happened. I took a sip of my Coke before replying,

"It went great. I signed my contract and they'll contact me soon to set up training at The Performance Center. They also said that they will talk to my school here and get me transferred to a school in Orlando. Which means I'll be moving soon, away from you guys." My friends looked at me sadly. I saw Brielle bite her lip and Tucker seemed as if he was about to cry.

"Hey, why are you guys sad? We knew this could happen. It sucks that I won't be able to see you guys as often. I'm gonna miss y'all so freaking much," I said.

"I have an idea!" Willow exclaimed. We turned to look at her and I could practically see the gears in her head turning. Willow's plans often involved alcohol and possible jail time.

"Uh, Willow, the last time you had a plan, we almost got arrested. No, but hell no," Tucker rushed out.

"Oh, Tuck, my plan won't get us drunk or arrested this time. I promise! No, my plan involves us going along with Scarlett."

"You want us to become wrestlers, too?" Brielle questioned, her nose scrunched up in confusion. Willow sighed and replied,

"Nope. We're not gonna become wrestlers. I was thinking, since most of us are almost done with our degrees in Atlanta, we could finish them up before moving to Orlando with Scarlett. We could also pursue our Masters' degrees in Orlando, if you guys want to."

Hmm. This is actually a really good plan but I'm not sure if they were really going to uproot their lives just for me. It makes me feel special but I didn't want them to go through so much trouble when I don't even know how long I was going to be a part of the WWE.

"Are you sure? I mean, are you absolutely sure you want to move to Orlando with me? You guys have been in Atlanta longer than I have. Y'all have family and other friends up there. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"You know I've been having problems at home for a while." Tucker stated. "I'd go with you, Scarlett. I really would. Besides, I'm done with school at home and I'm looking for something new. Maybe Orlando would be a fresh start for me."

"Alright, that's two for sure. What about you, Brielle?" Brielle twirled one piece of copper curl around her finger as she thought before finally replying,

"Yes. I'd go with you. Like Tucker said, I'm done at home and I want to go further. So I'm going to Orlando with you."

I flashed my best friends a wide grin before hugging all of them tightly.

"I can't believe y'all would do that for me! I love y'all so much. You guys made me feel so welcome here and I couldn't have chosen three better friends even if I tried. So, it's official? We're moving to Orlando together?" They nodded.

"Alright. We'll start looking for apartments and houses tomorrow while I wait on them. However, tonight, I wanna enjoy the show."

"It won't be long before you're in the ring instead of being next to it," Willow smiled.

"Oh, um, I do have some other stuff to tell you though."

"Like what? Was there something else involved in your meeting?" Tucker wanted to know.

"Oh no, the meeting went fine. It's what happened before and after the meeting."

"Like the fact that Seth Rollins was walking with you?" Brielle teased.

I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Yes. That's one part of it, Brielle. Also, his real name is Colby. Colby Lopez sounds so much better than Tyler Black or Seth Rollins."

"Ooh. Colby Lopez. It does sound sexy," Brielle giggled.

"Details, honey! Don't just leave us hanging here!" Tucker exclaimed.

Rolling my eyes at them, I explained how Colby walked me backstage to the locker room, offered me his Deadpool shirt before proceeding to kiss me on the cheek twice. I could see Brielle coming close to having a fit when I said that.

"Oh come on, Brielle. You could've said it was your birthday too and what you wanted was a kiss from Seth Rollins for a present," I jested.

"Unfortunately, my birthday's not until June," Brielle sighed.

"Well, if I'm still in the WWE six months from now, I'll ask him to kiss you on your birthday."

"Promise?" I smiled at Brielle's hopeful expression.

"Yes. I promise. I pinky promise." I stuck out my pinky and she linked it with hers.

"You said something else happened after your meeting, Scarlett. What happened?" Willow prodded.

"This is where it gets a little weird. Um, after walking out of my meeting, I got a little ways down the hallway before doing a little victory dance. As I was doing it, I heard someone say "nice moves." I turned around and it was Phil talking to me. We argued a little bit, you know how smartasses are whenever you have two or more in the same room together. Anyways, I said something along the lines of the fact that he's a jerk and that he had me all figured out. That was when he backed me into a wall and stood really close to me before whispering in my ear that he only did that to people who have made a good impression on him. So I asked if I made a good impression on him. He said yes, and then. . ."

"Then what?! What happened?" Willow asked, grabbing my arm. Her nails were practically biting into my skin and I winced.

"Ow! You're hurting my arm!"

"Sorry! Just tell us what happened, please! The suspense is killing us!"

"Okay, okay." I sighed. "He kissed me." I saw their eyes widen at this and I knew that they might not believe me, but honestly, I was still having trouble believing it myself.

"He what?" Tucker exclaimed incredulously.

"He kissed me. On the mouth. With the tongue and all. I hate to admit it but he's a really good kisser."

"Wow. Wait, so he kissed you first?"

"Duh! You guys know that I would never kiss someone who is unavailable, no matter how crazy their girlfriends may be. He kissed me first and it was really good. We kissed for a little while before I broke it off first because I knew it was wrong. I asked him why he did that, knowing that his girlfriend could possibly kill me. You know what he said?"

"What?" they asked together.

"He said that maybe he didn't want a crazy, overly jealous girlfriend anymore. Maybe, he wanted someone normal for a change."

"Wow. That's . . . different. I can't believe he did that, though," Willow frowned.

"I can't either. If he wanted someone normal, he could have just broken up with her and pick someone else," Tucker added and we nodded in agreement.

"So that's all that happened?" Brielle urged.

"Well, yea. I told him I had to leave and was about to wish him good luck in his match tonight, but he put his finger on my lips and said his whole thing about how luck is for losers. On an impulse, I kinda kissed his finger and just before he left, he kissed me again real quick. That's all."

"Oh . . . my . . . God," they chorused. I gave them a look that said "Tell me about it."

"Hmm. I just thought of something. The Shield is wrestling CM Punk tonight. Who do you want to win?" Willow asked, throwing me a smirk. I shot her a dirty look.

"Don't ask me that. If it were yesterday, I would've said CM Punk. Today, I don't really know. I guess we'll just have to watch to find out tonight." I shrugged.

"Oh, shit. How are we getting back to the hotel tonight?" Tucker proclaimed.

"Shit. I hadn't thought about that. Uh, we'll just call a taxi?" I suggested.

"Uh, I'm not sure if there are taxis in Rhode Island. We'll just have to ask Phil," Brielle stated innocently. I gave her a look before sighing.

"Jeez. Hang on, let me text him." I pulled out my phone to text Phil but he beat me to the punch.

 ** _Hey. I talked to a security guy. He'll escort you guys to the back after the show and I'll take you back to the hotel. By the way, I enjoyed that kiss. You're a really good kisser, Miss Scarlett. ;)_**

I stared at my phone with wide eyes, my mouth agape. I can't believe he said that! Oh, boy, was I going to be in trouble if AJ found out. I showed the text to my friends and they mimicked my reaction.

"Well, at least now we have a ride back to the hotel tonight," Willow grinned.

"Shush it. I'm sitting in the back seat on the way back! I'm not sitting up front with him."

"Oh come on, he won't try to kiss you again, I think. I hope," Brielle comforted.

Just then, the background music the arena had been stopped and the Titantron started. We had to stand up for the national anthem and once it was over, the show began. I could feel my excitement rising as the Titantron played Raw's opening theme song and video.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Monday Night Raw!" Michael Cole roared. We cheered and settled in for three hours of action.

 ** _(Author's note: I didn't watch Raw that night, so I'm just gonna put the results of the matches as I read them on - I will put some of the story in with the results, though.)_**

We cheered as Cody Rhodes and Goldust defeated Ryback and Curtis Axel. It felt good to know that I wasn't the only one from the Atlanta area who could make it into the WWE and have as good of a career as the Rhodes brothers did. The next match was AJ and Tamina against the Funkadactyls. We booed as AJ and Tamina came out like we were supposed to, and as AJ skipped around the ring, I wondered if she had found out about the kiss yet. I wasn't going to say anything but Phil might though. She stood up on the ring post and everyone booed her, and then right before she jumped down, she gave me the most evil look ever. Everyone else might have thought it was for show, but I had a sinking feeling that she was glaring daggers at me for one reason - _she knew_.

I tried to rationalize it by saying that she might still be mad at me for putting her in her place but a voice in my head was saying otherwise. So I did what I usually do - ignore it and put it off till later. I cheered as the Funkadactyls came out and we even danced to their theme music. We booed as AJ put the Shining Wizard on Cameron and made her submit for the win. As she held up her Divas' title, I had this sudden urge to get in that ring and knock her out of her knee-high Converses.

We cheered as we watched John Cena put away Damien Sandow with the AA and I felt that John could really be wrestling better matches than this. Luckily, he has a match with Randy Orton at the Royal Rumble soon. Then came the match I had wanted to watch - The Shield versus CM Punk and the New Age Outlaws. I was a little worried because the New Age Outlaws were really good friends of Paul's and they might turn on Punk because, as Paul and Stephanie like to say, it was "what's best for business." I cheered along with the rest of the audience as his theme song hit.

" _I am the cult of personality_!"

We hollered "It's clobbering time!" with him and then watched as he walked down to the ring. He looked different somehow, more confident. Odd, but I brushed it off when the New Age Outlaws' theme hit.

" _Oh, you didn't know? You better call somebody!_ "

Right before they got in the ring, they slapped our hands, which sent my friends and I into a fit. We'd watched them growing up while they were part of Degeneration-X with Triple H and Shawn Michaels. And then, the audience went insane.

" _Sierra_

 _Hotel_

 _India_

 _Echo_

 _Lima_

 _Delta_

 ** _SHIELD_** "

I looked up to see where The Shield was going to walk down and my eyes widened in surprise when I noticed they were coming right towards us. I saw Dean Ambrose leading the pack with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns following behind him. I noticed Seth Rollins was getting very close to side of the ringside audience, so I did what everyone tried to do - I reached out and touched him. He shot a quick glance at me before doing his jump and roll over the barrier as Roman climbed over it and Dean jumped it.

"I can't believe you did that!" Willow whispered excitedly in my ear.

"Like you wouldn't have? I'm not a Diva tonight, Willow. I'm merely a fangirl," I giggled. Rolling her eyes, Willow then turned her attention to the ring where The Shield, CM Punk and the New Age Outlaws were now standing. The ref motioned for the bell to be rung, and I let out a sigh as I saw that Phil and Colby were starting off the match. I felt my phone vibrate and saw that it was a group text from Tucker, Brielle, and Willow.

 ** _Soooo... You think this will ever happen outside the ring? Lol!_**

I rolled my eyes before typing back,

 ** _Hush, y'all, and watch the match._**

I snapped a few pictures of the guys going at each other before putting my phone up. I shrugged when they looked at me funny.

I let out a short scream when I saw Colby flying out of the ring and landing in front of me. Before I could stand up to see if he was okay, I saw Phil flying out of the ring and both of them crashed to the ground. I stood up to get a better look at both of them and I couldn't really decide who I wanted to get up more, so I just went with screaming,

"Get up!" I heard my friends yelling at them as well and sat back down when I saw Phil pull Colby up. He winked at me before throwing Colby back in the ring where they went at it some more.

Phil tagged in Road Dogg and he started going after Colby, refusing to let him tag in the other guys.

"You still got it! You still got it!" we chanted as Road Dogg went to town on Colby. Eventually, Colby managed to tag in Joe and the match continued, building in intensity until Road Dogg tagged Phil back in and then the unthinkable happened. Joe beat Phil down and he had to crawl to the New Age Outlaws but they jumped off the ring, leaving him defenseless.

"You suck! You suck!" the audience chanted as they left Phil to the mercy of The Shield. I knew it was over then. Phil fought back valiantly but it was all for nothing. The Shield swarmed him and the "Hounds of Justice" used their infamous pack mentality, beating him down.

"Oh my God! They're about to do the Triple Powerbomb on him!" I screamed. I knew Phil was tough, but it can't be easy getting thrown down from six feet in the air. I saw Joe pick him up, Colby and Jon helping, and then BOOM! Joe powerbombed Phil. They did their little fist thing **_(Author's note: I can't say their fist bump, because it's not a fist bump - I don't know what to call it)_** while standing over him and I heard little bitty Brielle chanting,

"Believe in the Shield! Believe in the Shield!"

I watched them as Jon got his title and they left the same way they came. I touched Colby's shoulder again and he gave me a passing glance, this one lasting a little longer. I felt something light up inside me. It was hot seeing him so aggressive and sweaty. _Jeez, calm down girl. You don't even know him!_ I thought.

Finally, the main event came: Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt against the Uso brothers.

We chanted the Usos' catch phrase with them as they made their entrance and after they got in the ring, the Wyatt Family's creepy as hell promo came on the Titantron.

"We're here."

Their scary music played and as they walked out to the ring, I booed them along with everyone else. I saw Daniel Bryan walk out with them and thought that he looked very much a part of the Wyatts with his outfit and unkempt hair and beard. I did feel sorry for Bryan, but an old saying ran through my head: " **If you can't beat 'em, join 'em**."

I watched as the Usos gave all they had against Bray and Daniel, but it was almost too much. Daniel fought like a madman against Jimmy Uso and when Jimmy tagged in Jey, Bray took that opportunity to tag himself in. **_(author's note: I don't know what happened to get the Wyatts disqualified, so I'll make up my own scenario.)_**

That seemed to set Bryan off, and he kicked Bray in the head. The ref rang the bell, signaling for disqualification, and the Usos high-tailed it out of the ring, managing to avoid Luke Rowan and Eric Harper, Bray's frightening lackeys. All of a sudden, Bryan ripped his Wyatt outfit off, revealing his signature trunks and boots. Bray started laughing like he always did, until Bryan kicked him in the head. Bryan went to town on Bray and I swear the roof blew off the place.

I cheered along with the audience as Bryan continued his assault on Bray. Bray's minions started to come in but Bryan cleaned them out quickly enough. After he finished with Bray, he climbed to the top of the ring and started his signature "Yes!" chant.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!" we chanted. After a while, Bryan left the ring and we got up to leave.

"Where's the security guy that was supposed to take us backstage?" Tucker queried.

"I'm surprised you can talk after that," I laughed.

"We're all gonna have sore throats tomorrow, that's for sure," Brielle said hoarsely. Poor baby, she was already feeling the effects of it.

"Excuse me, are you Scarlett Reed and her friends?" I looked up to see a guy wearing a WWE Security shirt.

"Yes, sir. I am. You're here to escort us?" He nodded and then motioned for us to follow him. We gathered up our sweet new WWE merchandise and followed him backstage, where Phil was waiting for us. He had showered and changed into a Wolverine t-shirt, black jeans, a hoodie, and a Chicago Blackhawks baseball cap.

"You guys ready?"

"No. My stuff is in the locker room. I gotta go get it," I told him.

"Want me to walk you back there?" Phil asked, smiling his charming little half-smile at me.

"Ah, no. I got it. Thanks though. Come on, guys. Let's go." I couldn't help but glance back at him as we walked back towards the Divas' locker room. Just before I opened the door, I heard someone calling my name. Looking up, I saw Colby coming towards me. He had on a freaking awesome Asking Alexandria shirt, the jeans he was wearing earlier, except he was wearing his hair down now.

"Hey, Scarlett. I was hoping to catch you before you left," Colby said, smiling. I blushed when I remembered the stupid comment I made about him smiling.

"Hey. What's up?" I asked as I returned his smile.

"Um, I have a question. Do you want to hang out with me tonight? Like for your birthday or something? I could get you a cake or whatever you wanted."

"Are you sure anything's open right now? It's almost midnight."

"Uh, I'm sure there's a 24-hour Walmart around here somewhere. What do you say?" He looked so hopeful I couldn't help but smile at him.

"I'd like that a lot, actually. But I'll go with you on one condition. They gotta come with me," I pointing to my friends. "They bought me this ticket for tonight and they're my best friends, so yea."

"Sure, they can come with us. I'll just let you get your stuff and then we can go."

"Uh, you might have to meet us at the hotel, though. Phil drove us over here this morning and he's taking us back."

"That's alright. Where is he? I'll go talk to him."

"He's right there, apparently," I pointed to Phil, who was walking towards us.

"Hey, what's taking you so long?" he asked.

"Oh. Colby wanted to talk to see if I could hang with him for my birthday tonight," I explained.

"Oh. Can I come?" Phil asked.

"I don't think so, Phil. You have other obligations you might wanna take care of first," I said, hoping he'd get the subtle hint that he had to go with AJ and not me.

"Oh. Hmm. Alright. I'm still driving you guys back to the hotel, though."

"Okay." I ducked into the locker room to grab my stuff.

"Ready to go?" Phil asked. I nodded and then turned to Colby.

"Here, punch your number in there," I passed Colby my phone and he handed my phone back to me once he was done. "I'll text you in a bit so you can pick us up from the hotel."

"Alright, see you in a bit," he smiled and opened his arms. Giggling like a schoolgirl, I hugged him back. Just as I pulled away, I noticed Phil giving me an odd look. _Was that jealousy?_ I thought. _That was weird_. I ignored it, though. On impulse, I decided to do something funny.

"Oh. This little girl right here," I said, pulling Brielle in front of me, "is your biggest fan. Now, it's not her birthday, but you would make her year if you could give her a hug and a kiss." Brielle stared up at me with wide shocked eyes and I smiled indulgingly at her.

Colby laughed.

"Alright. Come here. What's your name?"

"B-Br-Brielle," she squeaked as he smiled at her. I could hear Willow and Tucker dying with laughter as they watched Brielle.

"Brielle. You have a really pretty name, honey," Colby said, giving her a wink.

"T-t-thank you, Seth."

"Ah, don't call me Seth. My name's Colby. Now, come here so I can make your year, as your friend outs it," Colby said as he stretched his arms out again.

Brielle took a tiny step forward before she closed the distance between them and she wrapped her arms around Colby's waist. I snapped a picture on my phone and giggled because she barely came up to his chest. Leaning down, he kissed her on the forehead and on her cheeks. Brielle's face was beet

"Now we're ready to go. I'll see you in a bit, Colby." Colby waved as we left the arena and headed out to Phil's car.

"Get in. I'll be in in a minute." We got in and watched as Phil signed autographs and took pictures with the fans that had waited outside to catch a glimpse of their favorite wrestlers. A few minutes later, he got in and we were heading back to the hotel. Once there, Phil walked us up to our room, keeping his head low so that no one recognized him.

"Hey, can you guys go in? I want to talk to Scarlett for a quick second." My friends looked at me uneasily and I nodded my consent. I handed them my ring gear bag and my merchandise bag and they went in. Once the door was closed, I asked Phil,

"What do you want?"

"I just wanted to talk, is all," Phil said, stuffing his hands in his pocket.

I raised my eyebrow.

"You're stalling. Are you trying to keep me from hanging out with Colby?" He looked at me and opened his mouth, only to close it again.

"No. That's not it. I, um, just wanted to wish you another happy birthday."

"You could've done that in front of my friends. They already know you kissed me."

"They do, huh? Do they know I kissed you again?"

"Huh? But you didn't kiss . . ." was all I got out before Phil sealed his lips to mine once again. His strong arms wrapped around my waist and against my better judgment, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed him back. I let out a soft moan as his tongue slid into my mouth. The kiss lasted a little longer before he pulled away a suddenly.

"Wh-why'd you stop?" I asked breathlessly, looking up at him.

Pressing his forehead against mine, he whispered,

"We have an audience, that's why." He jerked his head up and I turned to see my three best friends staring at me with identical looks of shock and disbelief on their faces.

"Oh. Uh, I think I better go."

"Yes, you should. See you around, Scarlett," Phil said, tipping his hat to me before walking away. Closing the door, I braced myself.

"What the actual fuck was that?!" Tucker shouted. I opened my mouth to explain, but I really didn't have a good explanation, so I shrugged.

"You are gonna get in so much trouble, Scarlett. You know that, right?" Willow asked worriedly.

"I know that!" Just then, I felt my phone vibrate. It was a text from Colby.

 ** _Hey. I'm at your hotel right now. Your friends gave me the address while you were in the locker room. Come on! We still have 30 minutes left of your birthday to celebrate! :)_**

I grinned.

"Why are you smiling at your phone?" Brielle asked.

"Because Colby texted me. We gotta go downstairs now. He's waiting on us."

"What?! Now?! Oh my God, oh my God!" Brielle exclaimed. I sighed and shook my head.

"You're still a little lightheaded from his hug and kisses, aren't you?"

"I wished he would've kissed me like Phil did you though."

"Alright, come on. He's waiting." I opened the door and we headed back down to the lobby. I searched for Colby until I saw him sitting at the hotel bar. His face lit up when he saw us.

"Hey. You ready to go?" he asked after hugging all of us.

"Yea we're ready. So what do you have planned for me?"

"Well, there's not much open, so you wanna hit up a Walmart for a cake and then go get some food?"

"That actually sounds pretty awesome. So are your Shield buddies coming with us?" I questioned.

"They're actually in the car waiting on us," Colby replied as he held open the door for us before leading us to the rental car, where I saw Jon and Joe arguing over some stupid boy topic.

"Ignore them. They like to have pointless arguments about stupid bullshit," Colby laughed.

"Hey! I don't see you contributing anything!" Jon rebutted. Colby gave him a "wtf?" look.

"Shut up and drive, Jon." I giggled as I heard Jon grumbling.

"Who are your friends, Scarlett?" Joe asked. I introduced them to the guys and they did the same.

"So how old are you, Scarlett? Like 16?" Jon teased.

"Oh, please! Like I haven't heard that joke before. I can kick your ass and drink you under the table. I'm 22 today," I huffed out. Our friends laughed at that and Brielle added,

"It's true. She really can drink us under the table. The really weird part about it is that she can drink a lot, yet she never gets a hangover in the morning while the rest of us are begging for quiet and dark."

"Really?" Joe asked, raising his eyebrow like his cousin Dwayne. "I find that hard to believe. A tiny little thing like you? You should be passed out on the floor after like three shots."

"Please. It'll take more than three shots to knock me down," I boasted.

"That's how many it takes to get this dumbass out. He's a lightweight," Joe said, pointing to Jon. Jon responded by flipping Joe off, making the rest of us laugh.

"You guys are dumbasses. Seriously," Colby said, shaking his head in exasperation. He leaned back in the seat and I felt his arm brushing the back of my head. Looking up at him, Colby smiled at me and I felt my face heating up again.

"Ooh, it's my song! Turn it up, please!" I exclaimed. Jon turned up the radio, where Taylor Swift's "22" was playing.

"I've been waiting all year to sing this, and now I can!" I started off the singing and midway through the song, everyone was singing, even Joe, which was odd.

" _Oh, I don't know about you_

 _But I'm feeling 22_

 _Everything will be alright_

 _If you keep me next to you_

 _You don't know about me_

 _But I bet you want to_

 _Everything will be alright_

 _If we just keep dancing like_

 _We're 22_

 _Ooh, ooh_

 _22_

 _Ooh-ooh_

 _22_

 _Ooh, ooh_

 _22_

 _Ooh-ooh_

 _It feels like one of those nights_

 _We ditch the whole scene_

 _It feels like one of those nights_

 _We won't be sleeping_

 _It feels like one of those nights_

 _You look like bad news_

 _I gotta have you_

 _I gotta have you_ "

I sang this line looking straight at Colby and I saw him looking at me as we sang. After the song was over, we all burst out laughing.

"Hey, you guys don't have bad singing voices, actually," Willow said, poking fun at the guys.

"Why, thank you, darling," Jon said in a flirtatious tone, causing Colby and Joe to roll their eyes. **_(Author's note: if you didn't notice, Dean Ambrose is a notorious flirt, so if you're ever lucky enough to meet him, do flirt back!)_**

We pulled up to the local 24-hour Walmart a few minutes later and spent almost an hour goofing off. Jon and Colby had gotten two buggies **_(Author's note: buggies are what we Southerners call shopping carts)_** and were racing each other around the store. Joe could do nothing but shake his head and trailed after them.

"Hey, you guys want to get in?" Jon asked us. "Joe, you gotta get a cart too! We need to race!"

"Why do I need a cart?" Joe stared at his friends like they were idiots, which they were acting like at the moment.

"Because we need a third person to race with, duh!" Colby exclaimed like a little kid. Joe sighed.

"I already have one kid to take care of at home. I am not gonna be taking care of two more," Joe stated in a fatherly tone.

"But, Dad!" Jon and Colby whined. Joe sighed and left to go get a buggy. After he left, the guys high-fived each other and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at them. Joe came back with one and asked,

"Fine. Who's getting in?"

"I'll do it," Tucker said, climbing into the buggy. Willow climbed in Jon's buggy, which left Brielle and I.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" I asked her.

"Nah. We can both fit in there," Brielle said.

"Hmm. Okay." Brielle and I climbed in Colby's buggy and held on for dear life. The boys took off running around the store, all of us screaming and laughing. After about ten minutes running around the store, we finally stopped at the bakery. I climbed out of Colby's buggy and walked around for a bit, looking at the delicious desserts they had.

"Hey, what do y'all think about this one?" I asked, picking up an Avengers cake.

"Of course you'd pick that one up," Willow said as she rolled her eyes and laughed.

"How about that one?" Tucker pointed to a My Little Pony cake. I gave him a dirty look, which made him laugh.

"Ooh, how about those cupcakes?" Brielle said as she pointed out a plate of yellow Despicable Me Minion cupcakes.

"Awesome! What do you think, Colby?" I said, holding up the cupcakes.

"I think you should get whatever you want, honey," Colby said, smiling at me. I felt my face getting red again and wondered if I was ever going to stop blushing whenever he smiled at me. "Hey, I just remembered something. You wanna go look at the guys' t-shirts with me?"

"Yea, sure." I put the cupcakes in his buggy and walked with him to the guys' clothing section.

"So that was a pretty good match you guys had," I began.

"Thank you. I didn't think we were gonna win that one, not with the way Punk has been beating the shit out of us the last few weeks," Colby said, rubbing his jaw.

"Aww, poor baby. You got kicked in the face," I teased in a little baby voice, making him laugh and I grinned up at him.

"Yea, but I got a hard head."

I felt his hand brushing against mine as we walked, causing tiny tingles to run up my arm and I wondered if I could take things further with him. I know I had just met Colby, but I could kind of see myself with him. I just had to figure out what I was going to do about Phil. I feel odd around him, but good, as well. I know Phil has a girlfriend, but does he truly love her when he goes around kissing other girls? Maybe he was just playing mind games with me. I guess being around Paul Heyman for so long was starting to rub off on him.

"Aww man! I found it! I was hoping it wouldn't be here," Colby grumbled. I snapped out of my private reverie and looked at him.

"What wouldn't be here?" I asked him. In response, he held up a Deadpool t-shirt similar to the one he had on earlier and I gave him a little half-smile.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I wanted to see you in my shirt," he replied as he winked at me.

"Oh really?" I inched closer to him. Looking down at me, Colby leaned down and whispered in my ear,

"Really, really. You know, you have a very pretty smile, Scarlett." I bit my lip and blushed once again.

"Th-thank you, Colby," I whispered. I knew that if this was going to go any further, I had to tell him about Phil.

"You're very welcome, honey. Hmm . . . . how about I buy you this shirt anyways? I'll just have to wait to see you in mine," Colby smiled a devilish grin.

"You'll be waiting a while, then," I countered, taking the shirt from him and placing it in the buggy. He still had that devilish grin on his face and I felt like I was burning up from the inside. The way Colby looked at me and made me feel was unexpected. I had never felt this way about anyone before. I knew what I had to do before I let this between us go too far.

"Um, can I ask you something?" Colby cocked his head to the side.

"Sure. What's up?"

"I know we just met and all, but I feel like you, um. . ."

"I what? You can tell me," he coaxed as he gently stroked my cheek with his thumb.

"I'm not that great at reading signals from guys, but I get the feeling that maybe you are um, interested in me?"

"You think so?" Colby teased and I ducked my head in embarrassment when he laughed. "Good. I was wondering if I could've made it anymore obvious."

"What?" I squeaked, completely dumbfounded.

"I am interested in you, Scarlett. I know we haven't known each other for very long, but there's something about you that's pulling at me. Maybe it's the way you talk - I love the way Southern people talk, with your funny words for stuff and your little drawl. It makes me think of hot summer nights and good times."

"That's pretty much what we do in the South, especially when it gets hot - have a good time."

"I bet. Maybe it's the way you are; so tiny and simply incredible. I would say you're like AJ because of how small and nerdy you are, but then again, you're not crazy. At least, I hope you're not anyways."

"I have heard that comparison before, and I do hate to admit that I have went a little crazy before, but I'm me. I don't try to be like anyone else and I don't try to be who I'm not."

"That's really good. It's the same thing with me. I mean, yes, I may act like a bad guy in the ring, but outside the ring, I'm a guy who enjoys, well, working out, really. Mostly Crossfit. Crossfit is my life."

"Crossfit, huh? Isn't that supposed to make your muscles really huge? You're gonna end up looking like Joe when you get done," I laughed.

"There's certain ways to do it. Yea, it'll make my muscles bigger, but I can do it without getting Joe-sized arms." Colby grinned. "So, what do you think? Do you wanna give it a shot, Scarlett?" I looked down at my feet and back up into his pretty brown eyes before sighing.

"I, um, I think so."

"You think so? What do you mean?"

"I- I um, mean that before we go any further, I need to tell you something."

Colby crossed his arms and I could see his demeanor closing off. I hated seeing the hint of suspicion and confusion creep into his eyes knowing that I had caused that. I couldn't help but wonder if I had just screwed things up before it even started. On the other hand, I couldn't understand why he was acting this way. We had just met each other and we didn't know anything about each other. For all I knew, Colby had a girlfriend back home in Iowa. For all he knew, I had someone of my own waiting for me back home in Georgia. _Don't tell Colby about him yet, Scarlett_ , I told myself. _He doesn't need to know that yet._

"What is it, Scarlett?" he asked, all emotions gone from his voice. Shit. I just fucked things up and we hadn't even gone on a date yet.

"Something happened earlier today after my meeting. I was doing a little victory dance when Phil made a smartass comment to me. We started arguing a little bit and I called him a jerk and said that he had me all figured out - I was being a smartass. He backed me into a wall and he got like really close to me. He whispered in my ear that he only did that to people that made a good impression on him. I asked him did I make a good impression on him, and he said yes. Then he kissed me. I pulled away first because well, it was wrong, and he has a girlfriend. I asked him why he kissed me and he said he didn't know.

"I told him that AJ could tear me apart if she ever found out. He told me that maybe he didn't want a crazy, over jealous girlfriend anymore. That was the first time he kissed me." I knew I was babbling by now but I had to try to get Colby to understand.

"The first time?" Those were the first words Colby had spoken. I looked up at him and nodded meekly. "When was the second time?"

"A couple hours ago, when he dropped us off at the hotel. He told my friends to head back to our room first. They didn't want to, obviously, but they did. I thought he was planning to keep me from hanging out with you. He came up with this thing that he wanted to wish me another happy birthday. I told him that he could've done that in front of my friends and that they already knew that he kissed me earlier. That's when he asked if they knew he had kissed me again. I was confused. That's when he kissed me again. He pulled away first this time because my friends had opened the door. That's all," I rambled, staring down at my feet again. Silence hung in the air for a long while before Colby opened his mouth to speak.

"You sure that's all?" I nodded.

"I wanted to be honest with you before we started anything."

"I'm glad you were. Honesty is definitely a good thing to have when starting something. I've never had someone who was that honest with me before. It's nice."

"Wait. So you're not mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you? We're not dating. You can kiss whoever you want, even if he is taken."

"I would never!" I broke in. This got me a soft smile from Colby and naturally, my cheeks flushed.

"Why do you blush every time I smile at you? I mean, it's cute, but why?"

"Because of that stupid comment I made earlier tonight. About how you should smile more because you have a hot smile."

"Oh," he bit his lower lip. "Well, even your blush is adorable."

"Adorable? I'm not a little kid, Colby," I crossed my arms and I stuck my tongue out at him, which kind of disproved my point.

Laughing, Colby replied,

"Your stature kinda says otherwise, honey." I gasped and punched him in the arm.

"Ow! Damn, you've got a mean left hook on you. You sure you wanna be in the WWE with that arm? Maybe you should go to UFC instead."

"Oh, please. Those girls would tear me limb from limb if I ever showed up on their turf."

"Hey, if Brock Lesnar can go from the WWE to UFC and back, I'm sure you could too."

"You trying to get rid of me already, Lopez?"

"No! Never. I'm just saying, you could if you wanted to."

"Nah. I think I'll stick with WWE."

"Good. I'd be sad if you left."

"Me too. There is one more thing I have to tell you. Phil mentioned yesterday that he would like to train me while I'm in NXT. This was before he kissed me. I met him yesterday on the plane ride over here. Would that be okay with you?"

"I don't see why it wouldn't be. As long as he's just training you, I'm cool with it."

"I won't let him try anything. I'll use my left hook on him and knock him out Big Show style," I said, balling up my fist like the Big Show.

Colby laughed and said,

"Trust me. You do **_not_** want to get punched by the Big Show. It hurts like a motherfucker, seriously." I laughed at this.

"I bet it does. Luckily for me, I don't plan to find out. So what happens now?"

"That is actually up to you. I like you and I want to get to know you better. I hope to see you in Orlando sometime. Well, that is, whenever I get a day off to head to Orlando."

"I should be moving there soon. I'm just waiting on Paul and Stephanie to call me to set everything up. My friends and I are gonna start looking for houses and apartments tomorrow when we get back to Atlanta."

"Well, when you get there, do you wanna go out? I could show you around Orlando."

"I'd love that. We should probably get back. I think our friends are wondering where we're at." Turning around to leave, Colby pulled me back to him before wrapping his arms around my waist and nuzzling into my neck.

"Colby, what are you doing?" I leaned my head back on his shoulder, loving the feel of his arms around me.

"I'm just hugging you is all. I'm not gonna kiss you yet, though," Colby hugged me tighter.

"Okay. But seriously, though, we need to go." He gave me another tight hug before reluctantly letting me go. I turned around and gave him a hug and started walking back to my friends. As we walked, I texted Willow.

 ** _Where are y'all at?_**

 ** _We're at the electronics section._**

"Come on, Colby. Our friends are in the electronics," I said, grabbing his hand.

"Oh, jeez. Jon's probably looking at the video games."

"I thought you liked video games."

"I do, but Jon's obsessed with them. He's always trying to challenge everyone to a game, and he always get his ass kicked." I laughed and we walked to the electronics, where, as Colby guessed, Jon was checking out a new video game.

"I figured you'd be back here. What game did you get?" Colby asked.

"It's _Assassin's Creed III: Liberation_ ," Jon exclaimed, holding up the game.

"And you're gonna get your ass kicked again," Joe added.

"Am not. Not this time, anyways," Jon argued.

"Actually, you will. I've got that game. Pre-ordered it. I'll kick your ass at it," I bragged. **_(Author's note: I really wanna play Assassin's Creed, but I has no Xbox or ps3- sad face)_**

"Are you issuing a challenge, Scarlett?" Joe taunted.

"I am. When I get to Orlando and I get settled in, we'll set up a day where I can kick your ass."

Jon glared at me.

"Fine. You're on, little girl. I'm gonna kick your ass, though."

"Yea, we'll see about that."

"I don't think you want to go up against her, dude," Brielle said matter-of-factly.

"Yea, we've played video games with her and we always get our asses handed back to us. That's why we don't play them that much with her anymore," Tucker explained.

"Aww come on! I let y'all win sometimes," I said with a smile on my face.

"Yea, maybe once or twice. Other than that, we might as well give up as soon as we start," Willow declared.

"As interesting as this argument is, I'm hungry. Let's go get some food so we can get going," Joe said.

"Yea, that's a good idea. Let's go." Colby paid for the cupcakes and my new t-shirt before we left.

"Where do you wanna go? I don't think anything's open right now," Colby asked.

"Krystal's is open. They're open 24-hours," I suggested.

"Krystal's it is, then." Joe took over the driving this time and it didn't take us long to find a Krystal's.

We went in with our cupcakes and ordered our food with the guys getting themselves a huge meal.

"Jeez, guys." I laughed as they sat down with their food. Willow, Tucker, Brielle and I had already started eating ours. "Did you get enough food?"

"Nah," the guys confessed, making us laugh. We ate our food, joking around and laughing the whole time. I mentioned to Colby,

"Aren't you supposed to be like a health fanatic?"

"It's my day off from dieting. Truth is, I love junk food. I know it's bad, but I can just work it off later. I'm gonna do that tomorrow, actually." I rolled my eyes at him and continued to eat my food.

After we ate, the guys drove us back to the hotel. Just before I got out, Colby grabbed my hand.

"I really enjoyed hanging out with you today, Scarlett. I hope to see a lot more of you soon," he told me while stroking my hand.

Smiling, I responded,

"I hope to see more of you, as well, Colby."

"Alright. Good night, Scarlett. Sweet dreams, honey," Colby kissed my cheek. I heard Joe and Jon wolf-whistle at us and we flipped them off causing them to go into fits of laughter.

"Good night, Colby. Sweet dreams."

"Good night, Scarlett!" Joe and Jon yelled.

"Good night, guys," I said, laughing at them. I followed my friends into the hotel and up to our room.

Flopping down onto my bed, I stared up at the ceiling, watching the blades of the ceiling fan spin around at a leisurely pace.

"Oh, jeez, what a day it's been," I sighed. My friends sat down on the bed beside me and murmured their agreements. Lifting my head up, I looked at them.

"Did I tell y'all thank you for today?"

"You did, about once or twice," Tucker offered.

"Well, I'm saying it again. Thank you for the best birthday I've ever had."

"You're welcome! We love you!" they shouted.

"I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen at all. I wasn't expecting to meet CM Punk . . ."

"Or kiss him," Brielle interrupted. I gave her a dirty look and sighed.

"Or kiss him. Twice. I really wasn't expecting to have a dream of mine realized today. I certainly wasn't expecting to meet The Shield and have one of them flirt with me all night," I said with a silly grin.

"You have a crush on Colby! Oh my God, I knew that would happen! With the way he kept looking at you, I'm surprised y'all didn't start making out. Wait, did y'all make out while we were at Walmart?" Willow asked.

"No. We didn't kiss, but he did say that when I got to Orlando and got settled in, he would show me around. Then he would kiss me." My friends gasped and they smiled.

"Wow. Maybe we should become wrestlers like Scarlett. That way, we can land some fine men of our own," Tucker teased, stretching the word "fine" into multiple syllables. We shook our heads at that and broke down into fits of laughter.

"Oh, jeez is it that late already?" I looked at the hotel alarm clock. It read 3:11am.

"Jeez, it's late. We have to check out at 11am tomorrow. We might wanna go ahead and pack first so we can leave," Willow ordered as she got up to go the bathroom.

"Yea, we should do that." I agreed before getting up. As I packed up, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I took it out of my pocket and saw I had two texts: one was from Colby, which made me smirk, and the other was from Phil, which took it away. I opened the text from Colby first.

 ** _I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed meeting you today, Scarlett. I also really liked hanging out with you and your friends tonight. I can't wait until you get to Orlando so we can hang out alone sometime. Hope to see you soon, honey._**

I couldn't stop grinning at my phone. I couldn't wait to get to Orlando, either. I really wanted to see Colby again, and to hang out with him, alone this time. Bracing myself, I opened the second text from Phil.

 ** _OK, maybe I shouldn't have kissed you without your permission, but something about you is driving me insane, Miss Scarlett. I'm anxiously waiting until you get called down to NXT so we can start training. Maybe we can hang out sometime? See you soon._**

I sighed deeply as I locked my phone and zipped up my suitcase. I had no idea what I was getting into.

On the one hand, there was a guy who really seemed to like me, and I was kind of interested in him, as well. I really wanted to see where things went with Colby. But then again, I also wanted to know what was going on with Phil. He's acting like he's interested in me, but that's probably because I remind him of AJ. Lying down on my bed, prepared to go to sleep, I wondered what was going to happen next. My life was definitely going to get a whole lot crazier that was for sure.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: It's Time to Begin, Isn't It?**

 **One Week Later:**

 **January 20, 2014:**

I was sitting on my couch, watching _The Big Bang Theory_ on DVD. I laughed as I watched Sheldon struggle with, well, everything while Leonard, Penny, Howard, Raj, Bernadette and Amy helped him. I had gotten a call from Paul yesterday about me going to The Performance Center. It went like this:

"Hello?"

"Hey, this is Paul. So, we have everything set up for you. We need you to come to Orlando this weekend so that we can get you in NXT. Once there, you'll be meeting with our trainers and the other rookies. We'll give you about a week or so to get settled in before we start your training and set up in a new school so you won't miss too much. Have you found a place yet?"

"Yes, I did. We are in the middle of packing and moving right now, sir. We should have everything ready to go by this weekend."

"Alright, that's fine. We'll see you soon, Miss Reed."

"See you soon, sir."

Turning my attention back to Sheldon being an idiot, I thought about this weekend. I'll be moving to Orlando to officially begin my new career as a WWE Diva. I looked around my apartment that I shared with my three best friends and sighed. There were boxes everywhere and I could hear my friends moving even more boxes out of their rooms.

"Hey, what are you doing sitting on your lazy butt? You're supposed to be helping us!" Brielle whined.

"Sorry, sorry. I was just taking a break, jeez." I said as I got up. "That box looks a little heavy for you. Let me get it." Brielle handed me the box and I groaned a bit under the weight.

"What do you have in here, bricks?"

"Nope, books!"

"Gah, why can't you just buy a Nook like everyone else?"

"Because I like the feel of a book in my hands, that's why," Brielle chirped brightly, skipping off to get another box. Setting the hefty box of books down on the floor, I went to my room to make sure that all of my ring gear was in a box by itself and that everything else was ready to go. Picking up a small box by my nightstand, I opened it. It was a set of keys to our new house.

We went to Orlando last weekend, and after looking at numerous houses and apartments, I felt ready to give up. I didn't really have a high standard for the place - it just had to be a little bigger than our apartment now and be fairly close to The Performance Center. Finally, we found it - our dream house. It was perfect. It was a lot bigger than our apartment and only a mere ten-minute drive to The Performance Center. _This is it_ , I thought. _This is my new home._ We called the owner of the house and, within fifteen minutes, closed the deal and finally had a new place to call home.

"I still can't believe we're moving," Willow said later that night over dinner.

"I can't either, but I'm really excited. I can't wait until we get to Orlando. I hope it'll be a little warmer there because I don't know how much more of this cold weather I can take. I mean, really. My skin is so freaking dry, it's not even funny," Tucker complained. We rolled our eyes and laughed at our silly friend.

"So, are you getting excited yet, Scarlett?" Brielle asked, popping a French fry in her mouth.

"I guess so. It hasn't really sunk in yet."

"I'm sure it will once you actually get settled in and start training," Willow replied, laying her hand on mine and smiling at me. Smiling back, I gave her hand a squeeze.

"I hope so. I really do. Not only do I have to train at The Performance Center, but Phil is supposedly coming down soon to begin training me on his own."

"Isn't Phil like a Muay Thai expert?" Tucker asked.

"Yea, he is, which makes me nervous. I know that he's gonna wanna go full force. So I will probably be coming home a lot sorer than I was before. So I have that to look forward to," I said, biting my bottom lip.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. I mean, he can't possibly hurt you. You have to be in one piece for NXT," Willow comforted.

I gave her a dirty look and responded,

"I know that, but it is CM Punk. He started out backyard wrestling. That is dangerous as hell. There's no way in hell he's gonna go slow or leave me in one piece."

"He'd better, or we're gonna kick his sorry ass, Muay Thai expert or not. Oh, and he better not try to kiss you again, either," Brielle said fiercely.

"Y'all are really gonna kick his ass if he does anything to me?" I questioned. They nodded. "You know I can just do it myself, right?"

"We know that, but it will give us great pleasure to kick his ass if he does try anything," Tucker said. I smiled at them before looking at my phone.

"Ooh, it's almost time for _Raw_! Let's go!" We hurried to our TV and flipped it on to the USA Network.

"It's odd watching it on TV after you've already been to one, isn't it?" I asked. They nodded.

"Hopefully, you'll be seeing me on TV soon," I smiled.

We settled in for another week of _Raw_. This was the go-home show before the _Royal Rumble_ , so things were sure to get a little wilder and more unpredictable than they usually were. Randy Orton was giving a speech about how he had hurt John Cena's father last week and how he was gonna do the same thing to John at the Royal Rumble when this happened:

"Oh my fucking God! Are you serious right now?!" we screamed as Batista's theme music hit.

" _I WALK ALONE_!"

I think the roof blew off the arena and our place as well. We jumped up and down and hollered as The Animal himself, Batista, made his way down to the ring to interrupt Randy. We kept silent as Batista and Randy argued and gasped when he made his intentions clear about Randy's championship: "I came back . . . for that."

"Holy shit, y'all. That'll be a really good match if it happens," I shouted in awe.

"Yea, but you know Randy would rather fight John than Batista. Batista will tear him apart, limb from limb. You know how wrestlers are when they make a comeback - they're so much stronger and tougher than before they left," Willow pointed out.

"Oh my God, I just thought about something! Okay, Batista's got his Powerbomb, right? Guess who else has one?" Brielle asked.

"The Shield. Specifically, Roman Reigns," Tucker replied.

"Ooh. The Shield taking on Batista? Now that should be interesting." I said. **_(Author's note: I totally called it!)_** "But you know they're gonna try to get Batista to fight Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania, right? Just cause they're freaking huge and all."

"Ooh, time for the next match! Hey, there's your man," Brielle giggled. I turned my attention to the TV where The Shield was set to face off against Big E Langston and the Rhodes Brothers. On the outside, I cheered for the good guys, but I was secretly cheering for The Shield to win. I jumped up when Jon kicked Big E in the gut and Colby followed up with his finishing maneuver for the win. **_(A/N: for the record, Seth Rollins' finishing move is pretty fucking badass!)_**

"Yes! I knew they'd win!" Brielle shouted, jumping up and down. I rolled my eyes at her. "Oh, like you weren't cheering for them. I saw you jump when Colby pinned Big E."

"Oh, shut up, Brielle. And he's not my man," I gave her another eye roll.

"Not yet!" my friends chorused. I gave them a dirty look and threw a pillow at them.

We watched as Daniel Bryan talked to the WWE Universe about his time in the Wyatt Family and how he was going to take them out at the Royal Rumble, then followed by Fandango taking out Xavier Woods, one of the new guys on Raw.

"Why is Kane out there?" Tucker asked a few minutes later.

"Maybe he wants to gloat about how he attacked CM Punk last week on Smackdown," I said. **_(Author's note: I didn't watch Smackdown or read the results; wasn't able to, and I only knew about that because I read the Raw results)_**.

Instead, Kane called out CM Punk to apologize to him. Phil obviously wasn't having any of it and started attacking Kane when Brad Maddox came out there. He then made an impromptu match: CM Punk versus Billy Gunn.

"Isn't he one of the trainers at The Performance Center?" Willow asked me. **_(Author's note: Billy Gunn is one of the trainers at The Performance Center)._**

"I think so. I'll have to look it up later tonight. Now let's see if Phil gets revenge on the New Age Outlaws for screwing him over last week," I said. We cheered and yelled as Phil annihilated Billy Gunn, and celebrated as he put the GTS on him for the win.

We booed as Kane brought his stupid self out there and congratulated Phil on the win, and as a result, Phil got the first spot in the Royal Rumble.

"Ooh, the number one spot in the Rumble. That's gonna be tough for Punk to do," I pointed out.

"Yea, only Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair have won the Royal Rumble from the number one spot, and that was when we were babies," Tucker added.

"I think Phil can pull it off, though. He might not win, but he might last until like the final four guys," Willow offered.

Brielle added,

"Too bad Beth Phoenix isn't there anymore. She might try to eliminate him like she did a few years ago."

"Or he might put the GTS on her again," I responded.

During a commercial break, we got some snacks and I remarked on the amount of chaos was going on tonight.

"If you think it's bad now, wait until Wrestlemania. That week is gonna be complete chaos. Raw's definitely gonna be a lot more intense then," said Willow.

"The best part about it is . . . we get to be a part of it this year! And you, Miss Scarlett, might get to be a bigger part of it," Brielle crowed.

"Hey, let's not count all our chickens before they hatch, all right? I'm just glad I get to go to Wrestlemania. They might not want me to be a part of Axxess yet. Maybe at Summerslam or next year's Wrestlemania, even. You know I have to work for a while before being called up to the main roster, if I ever do," I told them.

"Hey, if Bo Dallas can enter the Royal Rumble, eliminate Wade Barrett, and then go on to actually beat him a few more times before going back to NXT to win the NXT Championship, so can you," Tucker replied. I considered this for a while, but I knew it was a long shot. It took Kelly Kelly years before she finally won the Divas Championship, and she had been in the WWE since she was 19. I knew that some Divas had never even won the Divas or Women's Championship, and they had been on the scene for almost ten years before leaving.

"I'll think about that when that time gets here, guys. Now let's go finish watching Raw," I said, changing the topic. We went back to the living room and sat down on the couch.

Next up was Albert Del Rio versus Rey Mysterio. We cheered the little luchadore on, but no dice - Del Rio made him tap out with the devastating Cross Armbreaker.

" _I WALK ALONE_!"

We jumped up when Batista came running out to face Del Rio. Del Rio tried to attack Batista, but it didn't do any good because Batista picked him up and Batista-bombed him.

"Well, that's what he gets for running his mouth, saying he was gonna beat Batista at the Royal Rumble," I laughed.

"Del Rio always has to run his mouth and bite off more than he can chew," Tucker said.

"You mess with The Animal, you get a Batista-bomb," said Willow.

"I hope Batista comes in after Del Rio so he can eliminate him quickly. Then we'll see how much of a badass Del Rio really is," Brielle said.

We all laughed at that one before moving on to watch Big Show call out Brock Lesnar. Brock came out there with Paul Heyman, and naturally Brock chickened out when Big Show issued a challenge to him right then and there. Paul Heyman, being the ever so slick agent he is, made the match instead for the Royal Rumble. Big Show accepted, and The Anomaly and the Mad Scientist left.

"Well, there goes my theory about Batista fighting Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania. It's probably gonna be Big Show versus Brock and Batista versus Randy for the belt," I grumbled.

"Not really. The winner of the Royal Rumble gets the title match against Randy at Wrestlemania, at least ever since they combined the two titles last year," Brielle responded.

"That's also if Randy is still the champ come Wrestlemania. There is the Elimination Chamber he has to worry about next month, and that is a lot more brutal," Tucker added.

"There is that. I still think that even if neither man gets a title match, Brock and Batista will face each other. Too bad The Rock's not gonna be at Wrestlemania this year; I would have loved to see him face off against Batista or Brock or even Randy," Willow pouted.

"Yea, but he's off being a famous movie star. Batista's gonna have to leave again soon so he can go promote that new Marvel movie, _Guardians of the Galaxy,_ " I said. **_(Author's note: Yes, I'm a total nerd, and I really wanna go see Guardian of the Galaxy this year)._**

"Oh, joy. She's here," Willow said with a sneer. The "she" Willow was referring to was AJ. The announcers made the remark that she now had the longest Divas title reign ever.

"Yea, keep thinking that title'll stay with you, little crazy girl. I'm coming to get it," I taunted at the TV. My friends looked over at me. "What? She won't know what hit her when I get my hands on her. Jersey girls may be crazy, but Southern girls are a whole new breed of crazy."

"And you were scared to become a Diva," Brielle remarked.

"I still am. But I want that title. Hell, I don't care who has the title anymore, as long as it's not AJ. She hasn't even defended her title in the last 30 days. The rule is that a champion must defend their title at least once within a 30 day period. If not, the championship will be stripped from them. Same thing with Dean Ambrose - he hasn't defended his title in 30 days. The rules are so fucked up. If I become Divas Champion, I will make it a point to defend it every 30 days. I might not win every time, but dammit, I'm gonna try," I said fiercely.

"Wow. You're sounding more and more like a Diva every day, honey," Tucker grinned. Returning his grin, I turned my attention to the match. It was a tag team match between the Funkadactyls and AJ with Tamina. We cheered loudly as the Funkadactyls won their match.

"Wow, Naomi must be feeling great right now. She finally got married last weekend, and now she beat AJ and her new cousin-in-law," Willow chirped.

"Speaking of her new family, the Usos' match is up next." I told her. "Oh, how lovely. The evil Wyatts are their opponents." We all shuddered at that.

We watched as The Usos and The Wyatts did battle while Bray Wyatt sat in his rocking chair with his fedora and loud Hawaiian flowered shirt, barking orders at his subordinates. Just as Luke Rowan was about to put away Jimmy Uso, Daniel Bryan came out there and attacked Bray, distracting Luke long enough for Jimmy to roll him up for the win.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!" we chanted along with the audience as Daniel Bryan gave Bray a little preview of what he would do to him at the Rumble. It was now time for the main event: Kofi Kingston versus Randy Orton.

"How much you wanna bet Cena'll be out there?" Tucker asked.

"After the way Orton beat up his dad last week, oh, he'll be out there, alright. Cena won't let that shit slide, especially since Orton has the title now," Willow replied.

We cheered for Kofi as he put his high-risk moves on Randy and booed when Randy retaliated with his methodical ground and pound style. We saw Kofi getting increasingly frustrated as he tried to cut the head off The Viper, but no dice. He did manage to get Randy backed into a corner and started wailing on him, but he didn't let up in time enough; the ref had signaled for the bell for disqualification. Randy RKO'ed Kofi and then:

" _Your time is up_

 _My time is now!_ "

"Told ya," Willow beamed as we watched John Cena run down to the ring and then the real fun began. John and Randy started fighting in the ring and the action spilled outside.

"Yes! I was waiting for that to happen!" Brielle exclaimed as Cena slammed Orton down onto the announcers' table, breaking it.

"Get him!" we yelled at the TV as John picked Randy up for an Attitude Adjustment. The crowd was going nuts by this time and so were we.

"I think Randy's gonna have a bit of a backache tomorrow," Tucker joked as John did his AA on Randy, causing him to land on the floor at ringside.

"At least the ringside area is padded now. If he had done that ten or twenty years ago, he probably would've broken Randy's back," I pointed out. After John celebrated with the crowd a bit, the show went off.

"Whew! That was a great Raw," Willow said, flopping back onto the couch. We nodded in agreement.

"I can't wait until the Royal Rumble this Sunday." Brielle added. "Are we gonna be able to watch it, though?"

"We should be able to. Once we get everything moved into our new house and get everything set up, I'll call the satellite guys and have them come put in a dish." I said. "Oh, wait. If we get everything set up, we should have it Saturday, but one of y'all will have to call, because I might be at The Performance Center."

"Let's just get moved in first and then we can worry about our TV," Tucker said matter-of-factly.

"Yea, let's just do that. What time are the moving guys gonna be here tomorrow?" Brielle asked as she cocked her head to the side.

"They should be here about 9, so let's try to get the rest of our stuff packed up and moved in here. Looks like another one of our famous all-nighters, y'all," I said with a wink and a smirk.

"Oh, no. Not one of those. I couldn't sleep right for a week after our last all-nighter," Willow wailed, shaking her head.

"Well, we gotta get all this stuff done so we can be in Orlando by Saturday," I replied.

That seemed to get her butt in gear, and we spent the rest of the night packing up the rest of our apartment. As I was packing up the last box, I heard a very fitting song playing on my iPod – Imagine Dragon's "It's Time."

" _It's time to begin, isn't it?_

 _I get a little bit bigger_

 _But then I'll admit_

 _I'm just the same as I was_

 _Now don't you understand?_

 _I'm never changing who I am_ "

No, I am definitely not changing who I am. I was just adding onto me, that was all. It's time to begin a new life.

At 9am the next morning, the moving company came and we loaded all of our stuff into the moving truck. We're just glad we didn't have to take all of the furniture with us. We said one last goodbye to our apartment and Atlanta and then we were on the way to our new house and new life in Orlando.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Orlando or Bust**

 **Wednesday, January 22, 2014:**

"Somebody get the door!" I yelled. I was in the middle of hooking up our surround sound system to our TV in our new house in Orlando. We had spent all day Tuesday moving in and unpacking, and we still weren't done yet. When no one answered, I sighed.

"Never mind! I'll get it!" I hollered. I got up and walked to the door, where someone was knocking pretty incessantly. "Alright! Alright! Hang on, will ya?!" I looked out the peephole and gasped. I immediately opened the door to find none other than a "Hound of Justice," Seth Rollins. He was leaning against the doorjamb with one arm stretched out, his hand poised to knock again. He was wearing, quite ironically, a CM Punk "Best Since Day One" t-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of black Converses.

"Hi," he said, smiling at me. I smiled back at him.

"Hi. What are you doing here?" I asked. He put his arm down and put his hand in his pocket.

"You texted me yesterday, told me you were down here. I figured I'd come surprise you," Colby said, smiling.

"Oh, yea. I did text you yesterday. I totally forgot I had. Um, do you wanna come in? It's a bit of a mess, though," I said, tucking a piece of loose hair behind my ear. He straightened up and replied,

"Sure. I'll come in, Scarlett. Besides, I think I was supposed to help you today. Remember?"

"Oh yea. You were supposed to help me. Are you sure you can, though? After your match yesterday?"

"Oh, I'm fine. It wasn't that bad. I can't really tell you what happened, but yea. It was pretty good."

"Alright. Well, come in," I said, motioning for him to come in. He stepped over the threshold and I closed the door behind him.

"Nice place," Colby remarked. I stepped around him and went to the still unpacked kitchen.

"Thank you. It's a bit of a mess, though. You want something to drink? You can have whatever you want, as long as it's in a can," I told him. I heard him laugh and I smiled.

"Sure. Whatever you got is fine with me, babe," he said.

I came back with a can of Dr. Pepper.

"Babe? Really, Lopez?" I asked with a smirk. I handed him the can and I felt sparks as his hand closed over mine. Colby's hand lingered on mine just a brief moment longer, and then he took the can.

"Yep. Babe. So how much longer will it take you guys to unpack?"

"Hopefully not too much longer. I have to be at The Performance Center on Saturday, so they will have to do without me for that day," I said.

"You excited yet?" Colby asked. I sat down on the coffee table across from him. I sighed deeply.

"I don't know yet. It hasn't really sunk in yet," I said. Colby put the can down and touched my leg.

"Don't worry, it'll sink in when you get ready to have your first match. When I got to NXT, I was unbelievably nervous. I had just wrapped up my stint in Ring of Honor, and was just about to go to TNA when Matt (Evan Bourne) convinced me to come to the WWE. Then after I had my first match, I started getting excited. This was my dream being realized. I was just happy that I was getting a chance to wrestle in the WWE, and then I won the NXT Championship. That was better than anything.

"I was still nervous because I didn't know how long I would be here, and then I get called up to the main roster to be part of The Shield. I'm not telling you this because I'm trying to make you even more nervous than you already are, but to kind of get you psyched. I mean, I don't know how long it'll take you to get called up to the main roster, but it's a very amazing thing to even be here. Hell, I still get freaked out whenever I have a PPV. I keep expecting to wake up in my bed, thinking the last few years of my life was all just one fantastic dream." Colby said all this while stroking up and down my thigh. I felt goosebumps form, not just on my leg, but all over me. I shivered.

Colby leaned closer to me and I felt his breath on my lips. I looked into his brown eyes and he stared into my blue ones.

"So, you're just trying to get me ready for this? Is that what you're saying, Colby?" I whispered. I didn't dare trust my voice at this moment. In response, he leaned closer and whispered in my ear,

"Of course. I'm betting on you, Scarlett." He then kissed the spot below my ear and I exhaled sharply. He leaned back to look at me. I opened my mouth to say something and realized I couldn't say anything.

I closed it again and looked down, my face turning crimson.

"Hey. What's up?" Colby asked, tilting my chin up so I could look at him.

"Y-You're making me nervous, Colby," I stuttered. I was sure that all the blood had rushed to my face because it felt so warm. He smiled a half-smile at me, and I felt more blood rush into my face.

"Why? I'm not doing much," he said huskily, running his thumb across my cheek.

"That. You're making me feel stuff, things I haven't felt before. I don't ever get nervous. Then you come in and I don't know what to say half the time. I didn't expect any of this to happen. I mean, I was planning to move down here and further pursue my dream of being a WWE Diva, but I wasn't expecting all this to happen so fast. It's still all so . . ." I was cut off by Colby's lips pressing against mine.

I gasped softly, then completely on instinct, I weaved my fingers through his half-brown, half-blonde hair and kissed him back. Mmm . . . . his lips were incredibly soft, and his mouth tasted like mint. I couldn't help but hear Lady Antebellum's "Just a Kiss" play in my head as we kissed.

" _Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight_

 _Just a touch of the fire burning so bright_

 _No, I don't wanna mess this thing up_

 _I don't wanna push too fast_

 _Just a shot in the dark_

 _That you just might_

 _Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life_

 _So baby, I'm alright_

 _With just a kiss goodnight_ "

I moaned softly as I felt one of his strong arms wrap around my waist. His other hand ran through my hair and for some reason I can't quite explain, I pushed him back against the couch and straddled him. Our tongues wrestled with each other for a while, both of our mouths wanting complete control. His hand squeezed my waist and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

I heard him growl low in his throat, and the sound was so primal, so animalistic; it was quite the turn-on. This went on for quite a while when we were rudely interrupted.

"Ahem!" I jumped off of Colby and sat as far away from him as I could. I ducked my head and adjusted my shirt, while he quickly reached for the forgotten can of Dr. Pepper and proceeded to finish it off. I looked up to see my three best friends staring at us.

Willow had her eyebrows raised and her mouth in a smirk. Brielle was shaking her head and smiling while Tucker rolled his eyes.

"So, how's the uh, unpacking going, guys?" Colby asked innocently.

"It's going great, thanks for asking," Willow said.

"Although, it seems like Scarlett's having a much better time with the unpacking process than we are," Brielle teased, suppressing a giggle.

"I, um, probably should leave. Let you guys get back to it," Colby said, standing up. I stood up as well and said,

"I'll walk you to your car." I walked out with Colby to his car. Once we got there, I asked him,

"What was that for?"

He smiled down at me and said,

"I told you I was gonna kiss you once you got down here. And I did. You are an amazeballs kisser, Scarlett." That made me giggle and his smile got bigger. "Seriously. Although my head was being weird while we were kissing."

"Huh? Why was your head being weird, Colby?" I asked. His head was perfectly fine to me, or at least his mouth was perfect, anyways. I wasn't really paying attention to the rest of him.

"This song was playing in my head the whole time. It was a stupid song," he said, laughing. Huh. I thought I was the only one that did that. Guess not.

"What was the song?" I asked.

"It was "I Kissed a Girl." Not the Katy Perry version, but the Attack Attack! version. Stupid, I know," he said, running his hand through his hair. I giggled again.

"I happen to love that song, Colby. Both versions of it. Two things, though: One, I'm not wearing cherry Chapstick. Two, I hope you don't have a girlfriend. If you do, you'll have been the second guy I've kissed that has a girlfriend," I said. He shot me a look.

"Oh, I'm definitely not taken, honey. Not unless it's by you, that is," Colby said, putting his hands on my hips and pulling me closer to him. I put my hands on his chest.

"You really think so? You really think we can do this?" I asked. I had just met him two days ago and I was already contemplating a relationship with him. Jeez, my heart moved fast. Now if only my brain could catch up, but no; it was too busy having common sense. **You can't be in a relationship with him right now** , a little voice in my head said. My heart was saying, **Why not? Love doesn't know time.**

"We can try. I know we just met two days ago, but there's just something about you that's pulling at me. We can go slowly if you want to, just kinda dip our feet in the water first. What do you say? It's up to you, Scarlett," Colby said, pulling me even closer to him. I bit my lip and thought. On the one hand, being in a relationship with someone I didn't really know was crazy! What if he had multiple girlfriends that he had ran through? What if he didn't really care about me? For all I knew, he could just be doing this so he can get in my pants and then throw me away, like so many guys do to girls.

 _Wait. Hold on a minute_ , I thought. _There's just something about him that makes me think that he's not like that. I have to take this chance. Who knows where it'll lead? It's a new start in a new place. Why not?_

"We can try. But we just have to go slow, Colby. I don't even know how long I'm gonna be here," I said, looking up into his pretty brown eyes. I was rewarded with a big smile.

"Good. I'm glad." Colby said, hugging me tight. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him. "I don't care how long you're in the company, Scarlett. I just want a chance to be with you. I'll go as slow as you want me to." I smiled up at him in response. I then stood up on my tiptoes to brush my lips against his. He responded eagerly by picking me up and pressing me against the door of his car. Wow, I thought. I don't think I could ever get over this, the way he makes me feel. I felt my lips tingling as he kissed me.

As we kissed, a very odd song started playing in my head. Well, it wasn't that odd but it was weird to me, though. It was that old Aaliyah song, "Try Again." Colby wasn't exactly trying again, though.

" _What would you do?_

 _To get to me_

 _What would you say?_

 _To have your way_

 _Would you give up?_

 _Or try again?_

 _If I hesitate_

 _To let you win_

 _Or would you be yourself_

 _Or play your role_

 _Tell all the boys_

 _Or keep it low_

 _If I say no_

 _Would you turn away?_

 _Or play me off_

 _Or would you stay_ "

After a while, though, I broke the kiss somewhat reluctantly. I leaned my head back and saw Colby smiling at me. I smiled back at him and then laid my head on his shoulder.

"What is it, honey?" he asked softly. I looked up at him and sighed.

"I don't know, really. Kissing you is so amazing. Really, it is. I just, um . . ."

"What are you saying? You don't want me kissing you? I don't wanna quit kissing you, but since we're supposed to be going slow, I can stop. I know I kinda ambushed you earlier, and I definitely wasn't expecting your reaction, either, but if it's making you uncomfortable, I'll only kiss you when you ask me to. Promise," Colby said, smiling.

"You'll only kiss me if I ask for it?" I asked. He nodded.

"I don't wanna surprise you. I don't know what your reaction will be next time," he said with a laugh. I rolled my eyes.

"My reactions to being kissed are perfectly normal," I pointed out.

"Really? The first time, you ended up on top of me on your couch. The second time, you're in my arms with your legs wrapped around me and you're up against my car. I am curious to see what happens next, though."

I jumped down and punched him in the arm.

"Ow! That actually hurt! Jeez, girl, I hate to see what happens if anyone actually gets on your bad side," he said, rubbing his arm. I could tell he was trying to be serious, but he had a smile on his face.

"Trust me, you don't wanna find out what happens when you get on my bad side. You think AJ's crazy? Well, that's the Jersey version. You ain't seen the Southern version of crazy. We'll break your vehicle, shoot you, or write a song about it. Me, I'll break your vehicle and probably your bones, too. And if I find out you've been cheating, well, that's just another vehicle and another set of bones to break," I said seriously. Colby's eyes widened at that.

"Wow. Really?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yea. Really."

"Have you ever done that before?"

"Done what? Break someone's bones and vehicle?"

"Yea. That and find out someone was cheating on you." I looked down at the ground and sighed.

"Oh. You have. I - I'm sorry, Scarlett. I shouldn't have asked," Colby said, wrapping me up in his arms and holding me tightly. I looked up at him and replied,

"You don't have to apologize. It wasn't your fault. It happened a long time ago, before I came to Orlando. I'll tell you all about it sometime after we get to know each other better."

"You take as much time as you need. You don't have to tell me what happened if you don't want to, honey," Colby said, stroking my cheek. I laid my hand on his and smiled at him. I was about to open my mouth to respond when Colby's phone rang.

"Hello? Yea, it's me. Alright. You don't need to know what I'm doing. Agh. Fine. I'll tell you later. Alright! I'll be there soon. Yea. Talk to you later." He put his phone back in his pocket. "So where were we?"

"Who was that?" I asked.

"It was Jon. I gotta go. I was really hoping to take you out tonight. Rain check, honey?" I nodded. He smiled at me. "Alright, I really gotta go now, okay? I'll see you later, I hope."

"Alright, see you later, babe," I said, standing up on my tiptoes to kiss him again. He kissed me back and then got in his car. We waved at each other as he pulled out of my driveway. After he was gone, I walked back into my house, where I had to finish unpacking and setting up.

"Alright, come out of there, guys! I know y'all were watching me, so come on!" I yelled out. My friends walked out of their rooms and I crossed my arms and gave them dirty looks.

"What? We weren't doing any kind of watching, Scarlett," Brielle said innocently.

"Bullshit. I saw y'all standing at the window. Colby saw y'all too. So there," I snapped.

"Damn. So, tell us everything! Don't leave out any details, either," Tucker said excitedly. I rolled my eyes again and sat down on the couch to spill the beans.

"Colby kissed me again. We talked a little bit about what was gonna happen between us."

"So, what is gonna happen between y'all?" Willow asked. I knew Brielle and Tucker wanted to know, but Willow had to know so she could decide whether or not she wanted to kick Colby's ass.

"We don't really know yet. We're gonna take it slow for now. He was gonna take me out tonight, but Jon called him and he had to leave," I replied. Tucker asked,

"What was the deal with you punching him in the arm?"

"Oh, that." I said. "He made a smart-ass comment and I punched him. He said that he would hate to see what would happen if he ever got on my bad side. I told him he didn't wanna find out. I told him that if he thought AJ was crazy, I was worse. I told him that I'd break his vehicle and bones, and that if he cheated, I'd break the girl's vehicle and bones. He asked me if I had ever done so, and . . ."

"And what?" Brielle asked.

"I told him that I had, before I came to Orlando. I told him I would tell him later once we got to know each other better, and he told me I didn't have to tell him if I didn't want to," I responded.

"Are you sure you wanna tell Colby about this, sweetie?" Willow asked, rubbing my arm. "It took you a while to tell me, and I had to practically beat it out of you then. You sure you wanna open up that old wound again?"

"Yes, Willow. I'm sure. I think Colby deserves to know the truth about what happened in Atlanta. I feel like I can trust him. I really do," I said, holding Willow's hand. Tucker and Brielle held my hand.

"You know you'll have to say his name, right? And you'll have to explain every last horrible detail. I love you, Scarlett, but if Colby somehow uses that information against you, I don't think I could take seeing you so broken. Not after what happened last time," Tucker said. I smiled at him and touched his cheek.

"I know what I have to do, Tuck. Like I said, I feel like I can trust Colby. I really do. If he does somehow use the information I've given him against me, he will know what it feels like to have Karma come back and kick his ass into next year. He will also know what it feels like when someone gets on my bad side."

"He'll also feel the pain of your very best friends, too. Don't forget that," Willow said. I laughed at that and then all my friends hugged me.

"I love you guys. You know that, right?" I asked. They nodded and smiled at me and then released me from their hug.

"Alright. We still have a long way to go before this house is acceptable for guests, so let's get moving!" I said. They went back to their rooms and finished their unpacking while I finished setting up the surround sound system in the living room.

Later that night, we were relaxing over takeout and beers in our now completely set up living room. We were watching the new episode of _Modern Family_. I was watching Phil Dunphy act like his usual doofus self when I felt my phone vibrate. It was Colby texting.

 ** _Hey. :) How are you? I know I left so suddenly earlier, but I promise I'll make it up to you soon. How's next week sound?_**

 ** _Hey. :) I'm good. It's OK. I know you had to leave. I would like that, though. Next week sounds great. See you then. :)_**

 ** _Can't wait. :) Oh by the way, I got the number 2 spot in the Royal Rumble. Not quite sure how I feel about that, but I'll take it._**

 ** _Oh, that's awesome! :D Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do great. I'll be watching this Sunday! Good luck, babe! :)_**

 ** _Thank you, honey. :) Oh, gotta go. I gotta go work out, get in fighting shape for Sunday. See you soon! Xoxo_**

 ** _See you soon! Xoxo_**

I smiled as I put my phone up. I felt three pairs of eyes on me just then.

"What? Like you've never smiled texting someone you liked before?" I asked, still smiling. My friends just rolled their eyes and went back to watching _Modern Family._

A few hours later, I was settling into my newly-assembled bed with kids' Avenger sheets - what can I say? I love my Avengers - and was almost asleep when my phone rang.

"Jeez, I must be in demand today," I muttered to myself sleepily as I unlocked my phone to read the text. It was from Phil. I sighed as I read it.

 ** _Hey. So I set up a training day for next Saturday. Hope that's alright with you. Also, can I take you out for dinner Saturday night? There's some stuff I wanna talk to you about. Stuff we need to talk about before anything stupid happens._**

I couldn't stop myself from being a smart-ass, so I texted back this reply:

 ** _Well, it certainly can't be any stupider than you kissing me twice. I will say yes to the training on Saturday, but I don't know about dinner. We'll see. I need to go to bed. I'll talk to you soon. Goodnight, Phil._**

 ** _Goodnight, Scarlett._**

I put my phone up and went to sleep.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six:** ** _Allons-y_** **!**

 ** _(A/N: I changed my mind. Chapter 5 will not have 2 parts, as originally planned. Instead, this will be chapter 6, obviously, and the part where I mentioned CM Punk leaving- sadface :'( will be Chapter 7. So enjoy! Thanks for making it this far- I love all of y'all! Mwah! 3_**

 ** _Also, I got bored with trying to come up with original chapter titles, so from now on, the titles will be from movies, music & TV- I do want to play a game, though- comment what you think the title comes from, and I'll give you what the original Marvel bullpen used to call a "no-prize" to the correct answer)_**

 **Saturday, day before the Royal Rumble:**

 **January 25, 2014:**

I woke up at 5am, full of excitement. Today was, as the cliché goes, the first day of the rest of my life. Today was the first day that I was going to the Performance Center to begin training to become a WWE Diva. I had spent the last two days doing research on all of the trainers that were there. I knew the Divas would have their own trainer, and I was really looking forward to meeting Sara Del Rey. I was also hoping to meet Mickie James, but she was on tour for her music **_(Author's note: I haven't really heard Mickie James sing - is she any good?)._**

I got up, careful not to make any noise, and packed up my clothes that I would need for the day. I packed my yoga mat for my warm-ups, my ring gear, and my shower stuff for after training, and some healthy snacks and plenty of water for breaks. It was kinda warm out, so I dressed in my cutoff shorts, my black _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D._ t-shirt I had bought at Hot Topic yesterday - okay, maybe I only bought it so the Shield could see it, sue me - a black PINK by Victoria's Secret hoodie, my black Vans, and to top it all off, my Florida Georgia Line trucker hat. I ate a quick, but healthy and full of protein breakfast, brushed my teeth, and was almost out the door when I remembered the satellite guy was supposed to come today. I wrote a quick note telling my friends that I was leaving and to let the satellite guy in and that I would be back later.

I walked out to my big, black, jacked up Chevy tuck (oh yea, I so went Luke Bryan on that) and started to drive to the Performance Center. As I was driving, I plugged in my iPod to listen to some music that would get me pumped for today. I needed a song that would help me get excited for this. I found the perfect one: "Defying Gravity" **_(Author's note: I'm using the Glee version for this soundtrack)_**.

" _Something has changed within me_

 _Something is not the same_

 _I'm through with playing by the rules_

 _Of someone else's game_

 _Too late for second guessing_

 _Too late to go back to sleep_

 _It's time to trust my instincts_

 _Close my eyes . . . and leap!_

 _It's to try_

 _Defying gravity_

 _I think I'll try_

 _Defying gravity_

 _Kiss me goodbye_

 _I'm defying gravity_

 _And you won't bring me down!_ "

I sang along with Rachel and Kurt at the top of my voice, and then I sang "Champion" by Clement Marfo and the Frontline **_(A/N: you get a cookie if you tell me what PPV or match promo this song was used for and who was in the promo!)._**

" _You can feel my passion, you can hear hunger_

 _A lightning bolt of thunder, and_

 _Sometimes I just wonder_

 _No one can hold me back, ready for my victory lap_

 _Fully ready to rumble, so prepare to be taken back_

 _I talk the talk, plus I walk the walk_

 _Ready with my eyes on the ball, eyes of hawk_

 _I raise my index finger in the air, giving my all_

 _A hard hitter like the four to to the floor (make you fall to the floor)_

 _I'm feeling 10 feet tall, unstoppable_

 _I'm the champion, champion, champion, champion_

 _Why you coming back for more?_

 _I'm undefeatable_

 _I'm the champion, champion, champion, champion!_ "

I kept singing and jamming in my truck until I pulled up to the Performance Center. I had to cut my music off in order to fully take it all in. I gripped the steering wheel and had to take deep breaths - it was overwhelming. I knew it was big from my research that I had done, but sweet niblets, it was fricking huge! I saw other vehicles in the parking lot, but I wasn't ready to get out just yet. I was intimidated by it all. In that gigantic building was where I, a small town girl that had always loved watching wrestling, was going to learn how to be larger than life, just like the Divas that I had grown up admiring.

I got my stuff out slowly and then got out of my truck. I put my stuff on the runner of the truck and took my phone out. I snapped a picture of the monolithic building and tweeted this: "This is it. I am finally here at wweprfmnccntr! #letsgetit" **_(Author's note: I think this is the actual Twitter account for the Performance Center, but the spelling could be off - sorry!)_** I then called Colby, who was preparing for the Rumble tomorrow. The phone rang once, twice, three times until he picked up.

"Hello?" I got a little giddy at hearing his sexy voice. I controlled myself, though.

"It's Scarlett."

"Oh! Hey, honey! What's up? It's a little early, isn't it?"

"Oh, did I wake you up? I'm sorry, babe! I didn't mean to!" I exclaimed.

I had completely forgotten the time; I was still busy trying to wrap my brain around this.

"No, it's alright. I was already up. Why are you up so early?"

"I'm here. At the Performance Center. I just got here, and I'm freaking out right now! I'm . . . I'm here to become a Diva! It's – I . . ." I heard him laughing on the other end, and I couldn't help but smile.

"What's so funny, Colby?" I wanted to know.

"You, honey. You sound like a little kid at Christmastime who just got everything that was on her list and then some. It's kinda cute. I wish I could see your pretty face, though," Colby told me. I had to grin at that. I felt bubbly inside when he said that. _Butterflies. That's what it is._ I hadn't felt like that in forever, and my smile got bigger.

"I'll send you a picture. Hang on," I replied. I unzipped my hoodie so my _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D._ t-shirt was visible and turned around so my back was to the building. I snapped a selfie of myself wearing the biggest grin on my face and then sent the picture to Colby.

"Alright, I sent you a picture. Did you get it?"

"Hang on, lemme check. Yep, got it. Your smile is so beautiful, honey. Oh, and I love the shirt you're wearing, too. You could definitely be an Agent of Shield," Colby said with a laugh. I rolled my eyes at his bad pun.

"I knew that's where y'all got the name from! And don't tell me it isn't because come on! Y'all debuted after _The Avengers_ came out and your name is The Shield. At least, that's my theory, anyways," I said, giggling. He laughed and then I heard Jon's voice calling out to him.

"Sorry, honey, gotta go. I gotta go get ready for the Royal Rumble tomorrow. Are you coming to watch it?"

"Nah. I will be there for Raw, though. Don't worry, I'll be watching, though."

"Good. I can't wait to see you Monday, then. See you later, honey!" Colby said.

"See you Monday, babe," I replied.

I heard the "call ended" tone and I put my phone back in my pocket. I grabbed my stuff off of the runner and walked into The Performance Center.

I walked in, taking deep breaths to steady myself. I walked to the front desk **_(Author's note: I guess there's a front desk - I don't know too much about the Performance Center other than the fact that it's huge and The Authority can see everything everyone is doing)_** , where there was a lady who very obviously looked busy.

"May I help you, sweetie?" she asked. She looked about my age. I wondered if she was a Diva in training, too, or if she was just working here.

"Hi. Yes, I'm Scarlett Reed. I'm supposed to start training today, and obviously I'm a little lost. Where am I supposed to go?" I asked. She typed some stuff into her computer, and then printed it out.

"This is a map of the Center. I've highlighted the places you're supposed to go. Is there anything else I can help you with?" the receptionist asked. I took the map from her and replied,

"No, thank you. I think this will help out a lot. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Good luck!"

"Thank you. Have a good day!" I called out, walking to the big double doors that would lead into the Performance Center itself. I took yet another calming breath and pushed the doors open. I walked in, and I was not prepared for this at all. It was . . . It was . . . I couldn't even find the words for it. I was walking around, trying to figure out where everything was. I kept my head stuck in my map until I bumped into someone.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" I immediately apologized. "I wasn't looking where I was going. I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, it's alright. You looked like you were studying that map pretty intensely," a male voice said. I didn't see who it was because I was looking at my iPod that had fallen out of my bag. It was being held by a guy who had a lot of tattoos, and it wasn't Phil. Instead of "Drug Free" on his hands, it said "Stay Down." _Well, someone has issues_ , I thought. I looked up and saw a pair of bright green eyes staring at me. He may have issues, but he certainly has pretty eyes.

"Hey. You alright? Did I bump into you too hard or something?" he asked. I jumped a bit and took a better look at the tattooed, green eyed guy. It was Corey Graves. On NXT, he was the guy that went around disrespecting people everyone and beating the crap out of anyone he felt like beating. I remember watching old episodes of NXT where he had this feud with Colby right after Colby became the first ever NXT Champion.

Corey was certainly a badass, but not as badass as the Shield – sue me, I'm a little biased. I did admire Corey's . . . what's the word? Oh, yea. His pugnaciousness.

Oh, no. Why did it have to be him, of all people? He had these bright green eyes and they looked like . . . like I was home, almost. _I want to know him better,_ I thought. _Why do I feel like I've missed him, when I don't even know him?_

"Oh! No, you didn't. I'm fine, thank you," I managed to get out of my mouth.

"Well, good. I was hoping I hadn't. You're so tiny! Are you old enough to be here?" Corey asked. I punched him in the shoulder in response.

"Ow! What the hell was that for? All I did was ask you a question!" Corey exclaimed as he rubbed his shoulder.

"I'm 22. That answer your question?" I retorted. I stood up with my stuff and held my hand out for my iPod that he was still holding. He grinned, and his smile was a little devilish, almost as if he knew things that I didn't and he couldn't wait to teach me. I shivered a bit on the inside because he was certainly having an effect on me that Phil and Colby didn't. Sweet niblets, I was gonna be in trouble if I didn't hurry up and leave.

"Oh. Yea. Here you go, baby girl. Oh, what's your name?" he asked, giving me my iPod. He made sure to brush his fingers over mine and I had to stop myself from shivering. It felt like an electric shock through my hand when he touched it and I couldn't help but wonder what it would it feel like to have those hands . . .

 _Nope._ _ **Nopenopenopenopenope**_ _! Reed, get ahold of yourself! Don't even think about it! You've got a great guy waiting for you; don't fuck this up,_ I mentally chastised myself.

"It's not 'baby girl,' that's for damn sure. I'm Scarlett. Scarlett Reed. I'm new here. What's your name?"

"Sorry. Won't call you that anymore. Not unless . . . you want me to, that is." He said this last part with a smirk and I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes at his lame attempt to hit on me. Although, for some reason, I really wanted him to hit on me. Why? I don't know. "Corey Graves. Outside the ring, I'm Matt Polinsky. Everyone's new here. So, where do you need to go?"

"Uh . . ." I started. I looked down at the map. "Here," I said, pointing to an area labeled "Training Rooms." Matt looked at the map, and then replied,

"I'm headed that way myself. So you'll be training under Sara?"

"Yea. I've heard that she was pretty badass on the indie circuit, so I'm pretty excited by that. Who's your trainer?" I asked. I put my iPod in my bag and walked with Matt to the Training Rooms.

"The big guy himself, Bill DeMott."

"Ooh. I've heard he was bat-shit crazy. Glad I'm not a guy," I replied. Matt laughed at my sparkling wit and I liked it. What the hell is wrong with me today?! I'm supposed to be focusing on my career! Relationships will come sooner or later, and right now, I wasn't looking for sooner with this tattooed, green eyed, messy haired smartass.

"He's a little . . . unorthodox, but he gets the job done. We're learning a lot from him. So how long have you been wrestling?" Matt asked.

"About four years. I moved to Atlanta from Leesburg when I turned 17, and I've been training ever since."

"So small-town Southern girl, huh? Not too many of those, unless you count Emma."

"Emma's from Australia. I'm from Georgia."

"Ah, I see you've done research on everyone. Tell me, where am I from?" Matt asked. He was being a sarcastic dick. I rolled my eyes.

"Pittsburgh. By the way, you ever met Mac Miller? Or Wiz Khalifa?" I asked.

"I don't think so. I've heard of them, but no, I haven't met them. I did meet Ben Rothlisberger and the Steelers, though."

"Cool! I remember when they were on Raw - that was pretty awesome."

"Oh, we're here." Matt held open the door for me and he gestured to the wonder that is the Performance Center. There were seven rings, and all of them were full of people. There was even a ring where I saw the high-flyers practicing their risky maneuvers, and they weren't even getting hurt like they would if they were in one of the other rings. ** _(Author's note: there's some top-secret stuff under the high-flyers' ring that's supposed to make it safer for them- the material is like a foot thick)_**.

"Sara's over there." Matt pointed to a woman who was talking to a group of Divas. I could easily pick out Eva Marie in the crowd and there were a few other Divas that looked familiar, as well.

"See you later," I said, walking over to the group. As I walked away from Matt, I couldn't help but feel like I needed him. What the hell is going on with me? _Focus, Reed. Today's the first day. Worry about the opposite sex later_ , I thought.

I got to them and I put my stuff down next to me. I walked over to Sara, taking my hat off.

"Yes?" Sara asked.

"I'm Scarlett. I'm one of the new Divas, or rather, a rookie. Am I late?" I asked. I didn't want to be late - that showed them that I was undisciplined and I definitely didn't want that.

"No, you're not late. Just sit down somewhere, and then I'll talk to you one on one afterwards, alright?" I nodded and went to sit down beside Eva.

"Hey," she said, giving me a big smile.

"Hey," I said back.

"Glad you're finally here. The other girls didn't believe me when I said there was a girl who kicked my ass and she wasn't even signed yet," Eva said with a laugh. I smiled at her and said,

"Nice. Well, maybe I'll get a chance to do it again with them watching." She gave me a look that said **"suuuurrree you will,"** and I laughed.

I settled in to listen to Sara talk about what we would be going over, safety precautions, what we should and should not do inside the ring, and finally, she shared some stories about her time in the indie circuit, including Ring of Honor, where so many of the guys in the roster had come from, including Colby, Phil, Bryan, and Claudio (Cesaro).

"Alright, guys. Go to the workout room and start stretching. Stretch first! Then you may work out, and afterwards, I will start asking you to come in the ring. Miss Reed, we need to talk," Sara said. I nodded and got up. Eva squeezed my hand and smiled at me before leaving to go to the workout room with the other Divas. I walked over to Sara. "So the first thing I'm going to ask you is if you have any experience with this, and don't say that you're a life-long fan. Everyone says that." Well, she certainly gets right to the point, doesn't she?

"Well, I am a fan, but I've been training in Atlanta for four years. I moved there when I was 17 from Leesburg, and I've done nothing but train since then. Actually, I'm also going to school to get my bachelor's in Registered Nursing, so if this doesn't work out, I'll have something to fall back on," I explained.

Sara nodded, listening, and then she replied,

"Well, good. I can't exactly say much, because I didn't finish college, but it's good that you have a backup plan. Now what is your specialty? Are you a high-flyer, a ground person, what?"

"A mix, really. I was learning to perfect my aerial maneuvers when I got signed to WWE. I also am supposed to be training in Muay Thai under CM Punk. He said that he would start training me next week, but I was hoping to look into some martial arts schools around here, just to expand my repertoire," I told her.

"That's a pretty good idea. Phil is definitely one of the better Muay Thai guys, and I can give you some recommendations on some good martial arts schools around here. Is there anything that you would like me to help you with?" Sara asked. I had to think about it. If I said "nothing," she would probably put me through the wringer because she felt I was conceited. If I said "everything," she would think that I wasn't really that good and that I wasn't cut out to be a Diva. Instead, I replied with:

"There are some things. Mostly submission moves and the aerial attacks. The martial arts I could learn from Phil or someone else, unless you could teach me?"

"I can help you out with the submission and the aerial work, but I think it'd be better for you to learn martial arts from Phil or go to a dojo. Is there anything else that you need help with, Miss Reed?"

"Not really. I mean, I'll ask you, but I think I got it - at least, I hope I do, anyways. I'm kinda nervous, though."

"Everyone's nervous on their first day. I know I was, and I'm not even a Diva. I'm just the trainer. I'm positive that you will do well, because I'm gonna make sure you do well."

"Thank you, Ms. Amato," I said.

"Call me Sara. Now get to the locker room, put your stuff up, and get to the workout room so you can start. We have a lot to do today, Miss Reed, and not enough time. Get going." She jerked her thumb to the workout room, and I quickly grabbed my stuff and walked speedily to the Divas' locker room.

I found an empty cubbyhole and hung my stuff up on the hooks. I got my workout clothes, my iPod, and my bottle of water out of my bag. I quickly changed clothes, and then I walked out to the workout room.

I walked over to the other Diva rookies, who were busy stretching.

"Hey!" Eva said, walking over to me and giving me a hug. Why is everyone so tall?! Now I know how AJ and JoJo must feel with all of the Divas towering over them. I hugged her back, and then she walked me over to her little group which included Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Summer Rae.

"Hey! Are you the new girl?" Summer Rae asked.

"I am. My name's Scarlett," I said, smiling at her.

"I'm Danielle! You can just call me Dani, though, honey," she said.

"Oh, you're from the South, too? Cool! What part?" I asked.

"Raleigh, North Carolina. Where are you from?"

"I'm from Leesburg, Georgia. I moved to Atlanta a few years ago to start my wrestling career, and then obviously, I'm here now," I finished lamely. I shuffled my weight from one foot to the other and I was saved from my awkwardness by Sara coming towards us.

"Here. This is yours." she said as she handed me an iPad. _An iPad? Really? Apple products are not that great, guys!_ I mentally complained. "You will use this the entire time you're here. You see those cameras up there?" I looked up to see a bunch of cameras. Some were even moving around like the ones I saw on NFL games.

"Those cameras are watching you all the time. The board can even pull up the feed and watch you guys at any time. The cameras can also be used to record you wrestling and you have the opportunity to pull up your videos to watch yourself and make any correction that you feel you need to make. There are also rooms that we have where you can go in and rant, basically. You can just talk to the mirror, which will record it onto your iPad and it will help you develop your in-ring personality.

"The workout room is available to you at any time, and so are the rings. Like you said, Phil is supposed to be training you, so let us know when you guys get ready to train and we will open up the Performance Center for you so you can train as much as you need to. Are there any questions, Miss Reed?" Sara asked.

I shook my head.

"Good. Oh, one more thing. You can take that iPad home, but it's to be used for work only. No Candy Crush, no Facebook, nothing else. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Get going," she said, jerking her thumb towards the exercise equipment. I promptly turned on the iPad and was setting up my profile on it when I bumped into someone.

"We really have to stop meeting like this," the voice said. I looked up and it was Matt. He was smirking at me. I rolled my eyes at him.

"That's the best you can come up with, Graves?" I asked.

"Yup. So, what are you studying this time, Reed?" he asked.

"Setting up my iPad. Too bad I can only use it for work- I was really hoping I could get past level 201 on Candy Crush," I said. **_(A/N: I am stuck on level 201 and I've been stuck on it for months and it's driving me bonkers! But, I digress.)_**

Matt laughed at me and I smiled at him. Wow, this is weird. I know I like Colby, and I think he likes me, but something about Matt is getting under my skin and I kinda like it. I felt butterflies in my stomach and I had to stop. I really did. This shouldn't be happening . . . should it?

"Really? You play Candy Crush?"

"Who doesn't?"

"True. So, you ready yet?"

"Uh, it depends on what you mean by "ready." I'm still trying to process all of . . . this," I said as I waved my hands around, indicating everything.

"Yea, I know how you feel. It's certainly intimidating, especially when you've got people from the main roster and hall of famers coming through here. They're either working out themselves, or they're teaching us. Then there's the fact that the Authority can see what we're doing. They're probably thinking that you really need to get started doing something," Matt said. I stopped fiddling with my iPad and went to put it up.

I ran back out and immediately started stretching. I heard Matt laughing at me and I stretched my arms behind my head, flipping him off in the process. That got another round of laughter from him and I rolled my eyes. After I got all stretched out, I walked over to JoJo and Emma.

"Hi! Oh, finally, someone shorter than me!" JoJo said happily, hugging me. I hugged her back and then I said,

"Thanks for reminding me, JoJo. I'm Scarlett. Hi!"

"It's nice to meet you." JoJo said. "So, how old are you? You look younger than me, and I'm still a teenager!"

"I get that a lot. Like, **a lot** a lot. But I'm 22." I responded. "Hey, Emma!"

"That's just my ring name, doll." Emma said in her pretty accent, and I have to say, I really liked her accent. I know people mistake a British accent for an Australian accent a lot, but Australian people have weirder ways of talking than the Brits do. "My real name is Tenille. Ya know, like that old musical group The Captain and Tenille?"

"I've heard the name, but I've never listened to them before, so yea," I said with a little laugh.

"Hey, you wanna come on the ellipticals with us?" JoJo asked, pointing towards the ellipticals and treadmills.

"Sure!" I said. We walked over to the ellipticals and I got on one while JoJo and Tenille got on the other ones.

"So, how are you liking NXT so far?" JoJo asked. She seemed so enthusiastic about everything, even though she got bumped back down to developmental. _Hmm, hope I don't screw this up if I ever get on the main roster_ , I thought.

"It's alright. Can't wait 'til I actually start wrestling, though. That's what I'm really looking forward to," I told her.

"Same here. I don't mind training, but it's the wrestling part I love," Tenille said.

"Of course **you** love it! You're already in a feud with Dani and you're getting called up to the main roster in a few weeks," JoJo replied with a twinge of jealousy.

That petty teenaged jealousy she had on _Total Divas_ was beginning to creep into her voice again. That's what caused her and Eva Marie to stop being friends, simply because JoJo got jealous and began resenting Eva Marie for her success with _Maxim_ and being the Bellas' valet. Oh, jeez, is she like this with everyone? I mean, damn. I was never that petty and jealous of others when I was 19. I could see Tenille ignoring JoJo and continuing to work out. I could tell that I was probably gonna be better friends with Tenille than with JoJo. I could be friends with JoJo, but if something happened to me that she would resent, it would cause problems, and I was _so not_ ready for catty girlfights. I had my own problems to deal with, and they just so happened to be of the male persuasion.

After about 20 minutes on the elliptical, I got off and stretched out some more. I then walked over to a punching bag and started hitting it.

"You're hitting it wrong." I turned around to see the NXT Champion, Bo Dallas. I liked him on TV. I mean, sure, he comes off as annoying, but that's just his in-ring persona. You just have to Bo-lieve in him!

"What do you mean, I'm hitting it wrong? It's a punching bag. There's not a wrong way to hit it," I retorted.

"Yes, there is." Bo told me. "Here, let me show you how to do it." I stepped back and motioned for him to come forward. He started hitting it, and after a while, I could see that I _was_ hitting it wrong. "See? Come here."

I walked over to him and faced the bag. He stood behind me and raised my arms. _Well, at least I don't feel any attraction to this guy,_ I thought. He moved my arms, showing me the correct technique for hitting the bag.

"Thanks. I'm Scarlett, by the way," I said, beginning to punch the bag the way Bo showed me.

"I'm Taylor Rotunda," Bo introduced himself. I stopped hitting the bag and turned to look at him.

"Really? You're I.R.S.'s son? The other one?" I asked.

"Yep. The other one," Taylor replied, putting his long hair into a ponytail.

"Wow. Well, at least you're not as creepy as your brother," I said, laughing. That got a laugh out of him.

"Win's really not that creepy in reality. He's actually quite the teddy bear. Although. . ." Taylor trailed off.

"Although . . . what?" I asked. He leaned in and whispered in my ear,

"If you tell anyone I said that, he'll kill both of us." I started laughing and then turned around to keep punching.

"Miss Reed!" Sara called.

"Ma'am?" I walked over to her.

"Get your ring gear on. Let's go. We got a ring open. Time to start the real training," she said. I ran to the locker room to change into my ring gear, and I could see I wasn't the only one rapidly changing. I dressed in my sparkly yellow short shorts, a matching midriff-baring top, and my favorite boots. I laced them up and then slapped both of them to make sure they fit.

I followed her out to the rings, where I saw Bill DeMott and Billy Gunn working with the male roster, along with Ricky Steamboat and Robby Brookside. It was daunting to be in the presence of greatness. I had to take deep breaths to steady myself.

"It's scary, isn't it?" I looked up to hear Dani talking in a low voice.

"Yea. A little bit. It's definitely not Georgia anymore, that's for sure," I whispered back to her.

"I know. It's certainly not Raleigh, either." We continued to walk behind Sara until we reached a ring. Sara got into it and began talking.

"This," she said as she motioned to the ring, "is where you all will develop yourselves as wrestlers. Do a good job, and you end up on the main roster, like Dani, Tenille, and Eva. You don't do a good job, well . . . you can either give up, or make yourselves better. This is where you have to put in the most work. This is where I will train you, not only in your moves, but in safety. Above all else, we will teach you how to execute flawless moves, but you will do it safely. We know that injuries are a part of this business, and it has cut many great careers short, like Edge's. We will do everything we can to make sure that your careers are not cut short by injuries. This is why we have the Prevention Room, which is self-explanatory. That room will cater to any needs you may have. We have an expert medical staff and doctors that will help you get well and they will help you get over your injuries in an efficient but quick manner.

"So, to recap: you will learn how to be a wrestler, but you will also learn to be a safe wrestler. I do not want you injuring yourself or your opponent because of stupidity. So, let's begin. Eva, Dani, come into the ring, please."

We watched as Eva and Dani stepped into the ring, with Sara acting as ref.

"These two will give a match, just so you can see what you will be learning here. I know some of you guys have been wrestling for quite a while, but use this as a learning experience to make yourselves better. Alright? Now, begin," Sara said, motioning towards Dani and Eva. **_(A/N: For this part and all of the other wrestling scenes, I will be using the technical names for the moves. I will either make up names for Scarlett's moves, or I will find the names for the other wrestlers' moves, but for now, the technical names will be used. I got all of these off of Wikipedia, so bear with me. Enjoy!)_**

They circled around each other, and then locked up. After a few minutes of this, Dani Irish-whipped Eva to the other side of the ring. Eva ran towards Dani, in which she was rewarded with a knife edge chop to the chest. Dani continued to do this until Eva was backed into a corner of the ring. Dani then got up on the second turnbuckle and started hitting Eva in the face, although not really, because that's illegal. Dani pulled Eva out of the corner and then did a running bulldog on her.

The entire time they were wrestling, Sara was explaining the different moves to us and coaching them on their techniques.

"Alright, guys, time to wrap it up!" Sara called. Eva charged towards Dani and Dani spun around and did a clothesline on her, knocking her flat on her back. Dani used a schoolgirl pin for the win, Sara counted to three, and then they all stood up.

"This is just an example of what you will be learning while you are here at NXT. Not only will you be wrestling against each other, but you will also be wrestling against me so I can show you different techniques and to help correct anything you may be doing wrong." Sara said after the match. "Saraya, will you come up here, please?"

Sara motioned towards a pale, raven-haired girl and she confidently climbed into the ring and stood next to Sara. She was almost as pale as Sheamus, but for some reason, it looked pretty on her; almost like the women of the 18th century society ladies who believed having a cream-colored complexion was a sign of class.

"This woman right here is who you will be chasing for the NXT Women's Championship while she has it. This is Saraya, who you all know as Paige," Sara said, motioning towards Paige. Paige gave a small wave and then turned her attention back to Sara.

"I brought Saraya up here to show you an example of what I mean. Saraya, go stand over there." Paige walked to her side of the ring and stretched out a bit while Sara brought one of the male trainers to us.

"This is Kip Sopp. Of course, you may know him as Billy Gunn, part of the New Age Outlaws." Sara indicated the aging blonde man in the ring.

"Hi, girls. My name is Kip, and I will be helping Sara train you guys, as well as be the referee while she is wrestling you. Let me just tell you, you guys made the right choice by coming here. I know some of y'all have wrestled on the indie circuit, and that's very admirable, but this is the big leagues, where you either make it . . . or you don't. So, watch and learn, and you just might get on the main roster," Billy said. He turned around to start refereeing the match and I couldn't help but feel a little odd by the way he talked to us. It's almost as if he didn't want any of us here.

Then again, he was part of the Attitude Era where the Divas were treated like sex toys. The Attitude Era also produced great Divas such as Lita and Trish Stratus, though. I watched as Sara wrestled Paige and I wondered why Sara never tried to get on at WWE as a wrestler rather than a trainer; she was amazing as a wrestler. I thought she could really revitalize the Divas' division without fitting the mold of the usual Diva.

"Oh, she's going for it!" I heard Dani say.

"Who's going for what?" I asked her.

"Saraya. She's about to use the 'Paige-Turner' on Sara. It hurts like hell when she uses it. Think Wade Barrett's 'Wasteland,' but harder," Dani described.

"Ouch. I would hate to be on the receiving end of one of those," I replied.

"If you have to wrestle her, you just might get one."

"Yikes."

We turned our attention back to the match, where Paige had indeed put the Paige-Turner on Sara. She went for the pin, but Sara kicked out.

"Holy shit. Has that ever been done before?" I asked Dani.

"Only by Sara. None of us have ever kicked out, even in practice," Dani responded.

"Wow."

"Yea." Paige pulled Sara up and then put what I thought was the most excruciating submission maneuver I have ever seen on her. _Holy shit_ , I thought. _What the hell is that? I really wanna learn how to do that._

"Ow! Jeez, that looks like hell!" I said to myself.

"It is," Tenille said.

"What is it?" I inquired.

"It's her Scorpion Cross-Lock. It's a new move she's been working on. Believe me, it feels worse than it looks," Tenille answered.

"Hmm . . . I wonder if she and Sara can teach me how to use that, or a modified version of it. I mean, my submission moves are alright, but I wanna do something different than a modified Mexican Surfboard," I told her.

"You wanna learn how to use that?" Tenille asked, pointing to Paige and Sara, who was tapping out furiously. I nodded and looked back over at them.

Billy held up Paige's hand up and then she shook Sara's hand. They got out of the ring to get water. A few minutes later, they came back. Paige took her place near the back of the Divas and Sara got back into the ring.

"So, does anyone have any questions?" Sara wanted to know. I raised my hand.

"Yes, Miss Reed?"

"I have one. Can I learn how to do that move?" I asked. "Obviously, I don't want it to be exactly the same as Paige's, but I believe it would be a great addition to my arsenal."

"I can help teach you, if you want." I turned around to see Paige walking up to the front.

"Really?"

"Yea. I learned that move when I was 16 years old. Believe me, I'm more than qualified to teach you. Sara can help you modify it," Paige told me.

"Thank you. That would be amazing," I replied.

"Alright. I want you guys to split up and find a ring to get into. Let's get to work. I'll be coming into the rings to check on you and show you different things," Sara called out.

"Would you mind working with me, Paige?" I asked her. I had watched a few episodes of NXT before coming here, and I was very, very impressed with Paige's in-ring skills. I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one who thought she needed to be on the main roster. I know this sounds narcissistic, but Paige is probably my biggest competition for not only the NXT Women's Championship, but the Divas' Championship title, as well. If I wanted a title in this business, I had to go through her and AJ.

"Sure. I wouldn't mind teaching a rookie a few things." Paige said. "What's your name, anyways?"

"Scarlett. I'm Scarlett Reed," I told her.

"Nice name. I'm Saraya-Jade. Just call me Saraya, though. So, you wanna learn how to do the Scorpion Cross-Lock?" she asked.

"Yea. I think it's a pretty badass submission move. That's insane how you did that. Dani was telling me that none of the Divas kick out of your 'Paige-Turner,' either. Did Wade teach you that?" Saraya laughed at that one.

"Not really. I mean, I have seen him do it, but no, he didn't teach me how to do it. My mum and dad taught me that one, as well as pretty much everything I know about wrestling. I've been wrestling since I was 14."

"Wow. That's amazing. It really is. I've always been awestruck by wrestlers who have had wrestling in their families for years and the talent that they have, and I'm not saying that just to be sucking up," I told her. She smiled at me and then replied,

"Thank you for that. Alright, now let's get started. Bill, do you mind?"

A man had stepped into the ring just then.

"I'm Bill DeMott. You must be the new Diva?" he asked. My eyes widened at him. Jeez, he was even more overwhelming in person. I just hoped he wasn't as bat-shit crazy as everyone said he was.

"I am, sir. I'm Scarlett Reed," I replied as I held out my hand. He shook it firmly and when I retracted my hand, I had to suppress a groan. Damn, that hurt!

"Alright. Do you need any help?"

"I do. I was just about to start working with Saraya here. I wanted to learn some submission maneuvers."

"Actually, you need to learn basic moves first, Scarlett," he said. _I do know how to do basic moves!_ I wanted to scream at him. _I've been doing them for four years, asshole!_ But there was no sense in yelling at the head trainer - that would just get me fired.

"Alright, sir. I can do that. Is there anything that you wanted to see, in particular?" I asked, straining to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.

"I just want to see exactly where you are at before we do any specialty maneuvers, like submission and aerial. So, let's begin."

I nodded and went to stand in front of Saraya. I held out my hand for her to shake, and she did.

"Begin!"

I gripped Saraya's hand and then clotheslined her. She got up and charged towards me, which I narrowly avoided. I pushed her into the corner of the ring and started giving her knife-edge chops to the chest. I stopped after a little while and attempted to Irish whip her across the ring, but she had the same idea. It sent me crashing into the ropes and she ran towards me, knocking me over the top rope and onto the floor.

 _Damn!_ I thought. _She's fucking good! I just need to be better._ I heard her do a primal scream, and it reminded me of Melina.

"1! 2! 3! 4! 5!" I heard Bill counting, and I slowly made my way back into the ring. I caught my breath and stood up. I saw Saraya coming at me again, but this time I was ready! I quickly pulled the top rope down, sending her falling towards the floor. I backed up behind Bill, and waited for her. She got back into the ring and I ran towards her, attempting to clothesline her, and I did, except . . . she had the same idea, again. That resulted in both of us lying on our backs in the middle of the ring while Bill counted. I rolled over onto my stomach and crawled on top of Saraya.

"1, 2 . . ." Damn! She kicked out! Okay, no matter, still have a bit of gas left in the tank. Keep pushing. I pulled her up and started kicking her like Daniel Bryan did, making my way around her. I then got on my knees and did a chinlock on her. She struggled out of it, and I pushed her down and started slamming her face down onto the mat. I rolled her over and tried to pin her again, but she kicked out again. I stared at her and started hitting the mat in frustration, but then I calmed down.

Instead, I slowly backed up, watching, waiting for her to get up. Once she stood up, I charged at her, picking her up and doing an Alley-Oop on her, sending both of us down onto the mat. I rolled her onto her back and went to pin her, but she kicked me in the gut. I tried to stand up, but I was doubled over in pain. I was clutching my stomach, and the next thing I knew, I was flat on my back being pinned.

"1, 2, 3!" _Damn_ , I thought. _She must've put the Paige-Turner on me._

"Come on, get up," I heard Saraya say. She was holding out her hand and I accepted it. She pulled me up and then she shook my hand.

"Not bad, rookie," she told me. I was holding my neck and I looked at her.

"Thanks, Saraya. But I still lost."

"Relax. It wasn't a real match, Scarlett. Now, if you were wrestling me for the title, then you have a right to be mad, because it's not going anywhere right now," Saraya replied with a smirk. Well, at least she's confident. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to Bill. I straightened up and looked at him.

"Well, you certainly show promise, Miss Reed. How long have you been wrestling?" Bill asked.

"Four years, sir," I replied.

"Wow. Are you sure you haven't been wrestling as long as she has?" he asked, pointing to Saraya.

"No, sir. I haven't. I started when I was 17. Why do you ask?"

"I think you're pretty good for someone who hasn't had that much experience wrestling. You're good, but you could be better."

"I know I could be better. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think so," I said.

He chuckled at that.

"You are certainly a little spitfire, Miss Reed. Where are you from?"

"Oh, a little ways up north. A small town called Leesburg, Georgia."

"Oh. Nice. It's a good city. Produced some great people."

"I plan on being next on that list," I said confidently. Bill looked at me and replied,

"From your lips to God's ears."

"Do you have anything else that I should know, sir?" I asked.

"You seem to know what you're doing with the basics, so you can start working with Saraya on submission moves. Hang on, I'll send someone over to help y'all with the submission moves." Bill stepped out of the ring and walked over to one of the other rings.

"How are you girls doing?" I looked over to see Matt lounging against the ring post, one arm draped over it ever so casually, like he was practicing his ring entrance. I rolled my eyes and was about to reply when Saraya said,

"What do you want, Matt?"

"Hey, I can't come check out the action?" Matt said with a smirk.

"Not much action to speak of. Saraya just kicked my ass and now Bill's going to get someone to help me with my submission moves," I told him. Matt nodded and then got into the ring.

"Dude, what the hell are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be wrestling with Adrian?" Saraya asked.

"He's fine. He's working out with Mojo right now." Matt replied. "Hey, Scarlett Johansson. What's next for the Black Widow?" I stared at him for a few minutes and then busted out laughing. I had to end up sitting down on the ring from laughing so hard. Dammit. He even has a sense of humor. I'm gonna be in so much trouble with this guy if I didn't stop myself. Saraya stared at me wide-eyed, wondering what was going on, and then she started laughing too.

"What? Did I say something funny?" Matt asked with a dumbfounded look on his face.

After a few minutes, I calmed down long enough to reply to him,

"Oh, Matt. You're hilarious!"

"Why? All I did was ask a question," Matt said, throwing up his hands like "seriously?!"

"I know, but it was a funny question!" I exclaimed, another fit of giggles overcoming me.

"I don't really see what's so funny here."

"I've actually never heard anyone call me Scarlett Johansson before." I told him after I calmed down. "Scarlett O'Hara, sure. Never Johansson. How long were you sitting on that little gem, Matt?"

"You don't have to be a smartass about it," Matt snapped.

"Aww, poor baby. Wittle Matty got his wittle feewings hurt by a wittle girl?" Saraya said in a baby voice. That caused a new wave of giggles and Matt to roll his eyes and sigh.

"Never mind. I'm going to go work out," Matt said sullenly, and climbed out of the ring. I walked over to Saraya and slung my arm over her shoulder. I said,

"Ya know, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship." She looked at me and smiled. She did the same to me and replied,

"Ya know, I think so, too, Scarlett. Alright, Bill's coming back. Oh, boy. He brought Ricky with him."

I looked over and my eyes widened. I dropped my arm and stood completely still.

"Holy shit." I said softly. "It's the fucking Dragon!" I was awestruck. I mean, I was pretty starstruck by Bill, but this was Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat! This man put on a show at Wrestlemania XXV against Chris Jericho.

The two men stepped into the ring and Ricky looked at me. I really had to get a grip on myself. I made a mental note to get his autograph later.

"Hello, Saraya." Ricky said, smiling. "Hello. You're Scarlett?"

"Ye-yes, sir, I am. It's such an honor to meet you," I gushed. I extended my hand and he shook it warmly. My inner fangirl was freaking out!

"Thank you for that. My name is Richard, but you can call me Ricky if you like. Now I understand that you are wanting to learn submission maneuvers? Or add some more to your repertoire?" he asked.

"A mix of both, sir. I wanted to learn some new ones, as well as variations on some of my older ones. I also kinda want to learn Saraya's Scorpion Deathlock, too. It looks pretty cool," I said with a small laugh.

"It is certainly a devastating move, that's for sure." Ricky said, which got a big smile from Saraya. "Okay, so show me what you have in terms of submission moves, Scarlett." I nodded and then turned to Saraya.

"Do you mind lying face down, please?" I asked her. She nodded and she laid down in the center of the ring, face down. I then applied my Southern Cross to her, making sure to twist her arms and legs up. I heard her screaming, but it wasn't her primal scream.

"Alright, let her go!" Ricky yelled. I untangled myself from Saraya and she fell on the ring mat, breathing hard. She rolled over onto her back and sat up.

"What in the bloody hell was that?!" Saraya asked.

"That's what I want to know," Ricky and Bill said together.

I sat up and explained,

"That was a variation on the Mexican Surfboard. I call it the Southern Cross." They all looked at me with wide eyes.

"Who taught you that?" Bill asked.

"Mr. Hughes at WWA4 School in Atlanta, sir. He originally taught me the Mexican Surfboard, but then I started playing around with variations of it, and that's where the Southern Cross comes from. Is there anything wrong with it, sir?" I replied.

"Actually, no. There isn't a single thing wrong with it, Scarlett," Ricky told me.

"Really?"

"Yes, really." Bill said. "That is one of the most innovative moves I have ever seen, and I've seen quite a few of them. Keep working on that one, Scarlett. Ricky, you can work with these two girls." With that, Bill stepped out of the ring and left us to go work with the other Superstars.

 **Later that night:** ** _(A/N: Sorry, I kinda ran out of ideas on what to do at the Performance Center, so again, sorry!)_**

I had just finished changing into my regular clothes when I saw Saraya walking towards me to her locker.

"Hey," I said, giving her a wave.

"Hey, Scarlett. Did you enjoy your first day?" she asked, putting some stuff in her bag.

"I did. Even though you guys put me through the wringer!" I exclaimed, laughing.

"That's what will happen here, dear. It's only gonna get harder from here At least you weren't wrestling under my parents or at the Hart Dungeon. You'd be **begging** to come here."

"I know that. I can't wait to see what's next. So what's up for you tonight?" I asked, putting my hat on and zipping up my hoodie.

"I'm gonna go home, chill out, and watch some TV. Then, in the morning, I'll be right back here. What about you?"

"About the same, actually. Are you watching the Royal Rumble tomorrow?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. What about you?"

"I'm watching it, too. My friends and I are gonna have a little party for it tomorrow. Just some pizza, burgers, fries, and stuff. We're all gonna wear our wrestling shirts and just chill out," I told her.

"That actually sounds like fun! Mind if I come?" Saraya asked.

"Are you sure you want to? My friends are kinda weird. Like in a good way, of course," I told her. She laughed and replied,

"Don't worry about it. You're gonna get weirder friends if you stay here," Saraya said with a smile. I smiled back at her.

"So, you're counting yourself in that category?"

"I guess I am. Here, gimme your phone number. I'll even bring some of the other girls over. Including Matt."

I started laughing at that one.

"You should definitely bring Matt," I told her as I gave Saraya my phone so she could punch in her number. She gave it back after a few seconds and then she said,

"It was great meeting you. It really was. I can't wait to wrestle against you."

"Thank you for that. I can't wait to wrestle against you, either," I told her, giving her a hug. She hugged me back.

I walked out of the locker room, and was just about to leave the Performance Center when someone called out to me. I turned around to see Matt coming towards me. _And the butterflies are back_ , I thought.

"Hey! Scarlett!" he called out.

"Hey, Matt. What's up?"

"Just wanted to talk. How'd you enjoy today?"

"I honestly loved it. It was amazing. I got to work with some great people, and I can't wait for whatever comes my way," I told him with a big smile on my face.

Even though I was sore as hell, I was happy. I had just completed my first day of training and was eager to continue. I honestly wanted to get a TARDIS and go into the future, just to see if I ever did become NXT Women's Champion or Divas' Champion. Also, I wanted to see if I ended up with Colby. Hey, what can I say? I like him, and he likes me - at least, I hope so, anyways.

"I'm glad. It's hard, but it's fun, too." Matt replied. "So, what's this I hear about you throwing a Rumble party tomorrow? You're not gonna invite me?"

"I think Saraya was supposed to talk to you about that. She wanted to come after I told her about it, and she said she was bringing a few people over. You can come if you want to, though."

"I think I might show up - fashionably late, that is." I rolled my eyes.

"Dick." He laughed at me.

"Hey, can I give you a hug? Just to say that it was nice meeting you?" he asked.

"Sure," I replied, walking over to him. He opened his arms and I stepped into them. He wrapped his tattooed arms around me, and all of a sudden, I felt warm. It was a warmth that made me feel like he could protect me. Don't get me wrong, I do feel attracted to Matt, but not the way I do towards Colby or Phil. I felt like Matt could probably end up being my best friend, if he didn't end up in bed with me first. I inhaled his scent and it was . . . heavenly. _No, stop it, Scarlett!_ I mentally yelled at myself. _Don't do this!_

He squeezed me tight one last time and then let me go.

"I can't wait to get to know you better, Scarlett. I think you're pretty awesome. See you tomorrow?"

"I wanna get to know you better, too Matt. Hey, gimme your number?" I asked. I handed Matt my phone, where he quickly put in his number and took a silly picture of himself for the contact ID. I giggled at him and I put my phone back in my pocket, feeling odd. He opened the door to the exit and we walked out together. Matt waved at me and I waved back, before we made our way to our vehicles. As I walked to my truck, I couldn't help but think about Matt. It was weird the immediate and quite frankly, powerful attraction that I felt towards him. I mean, I didn't even feel that powerful of an attraction to Phil or Colby, and I had to keep my distance from Matt before something got screwed. It was probably going to be me. I don't go jumping into bed with guys that I didn't know that well but ugh! Matt was making me want to, and I knew I couldn't, shouldn't . . . could I? Should I just forget about Colby and try to go after Matt? _Wait, no. Don't do that. That wouldn't be fair to Colby or you_ , I tried to reason with myself. _Just try to see where this thing with Colby goes, if anywhere, and if it doesn't, then you can go after Matt._

I got in my truck and leaned my head against the steering wheel. I exhaled deeply.

"Oh, man. What a day, what a day," I muttered.

I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket and I pulled it out. It was Colby.

"Hey, babe," I said brightly. I couldn't stop myself from smiling whenever he called or texted me. I couldn't wait to see him Monday. Maybe seeing him Monday would reaffirm things for me; that I should be focused on Colby and not Matt, no matter how much I wanted to focus on his multiple tattoos and his bright green eyes and his messy hair and . . . **_Okay, stop it. Stop it now_**.

"Hey, you. So, how'd it go?" Colby asked.

"I'm so damn tired! But it was amazing, Colby. I got to work with the Dragon! It was fucking awesome, seriously. I can't wait 'til tomorrow, and every day after that. I had the best day ever," I told him. He laughed and it sounded so damn sexy in that deep voice of his.

I couldn't stop myself from shivering a little, but at least Colby couldn't hear me.

"I'm glad you had fun, baby. So, you still coming up here on Monday?"

"Yea, I am. I can't wait to see you."

"I can't wait to see you either, Scarlett. Are you going home now?"

"Yea, I am. I'm gonna go to bed, and then come back tomorrow. I'm also having a Royal Rumble party tomorrow. Saraya's gonna come and bring some of the Divas, and Matt's even coming, too."

"Oh, jeez. You're gonna let Matt around all those girls and your friends? Have fun with that," Colby said with a laugh.

"I'm sure Matt's not that bad. He seems nice," I told him. Matt is pretty nice. I smiled to myself as I thought of him.

"He's pretty cool. He's one of my best friends, so if this doesn't work out, you'll have to take it up with him."

 _Aw, hell. I would want to fall for the potential boyfriend's best friend. Fuck me,_ I thought as I groaned inwardly.

"Well, I hope it works out. First, it has to start," I told him. He was silent for a little while, and I had started to wonder if I had said something wrong, but I brushed it off. I had to be honest from the start, even if that meant saying something that might be the wrong thing to say.

"You're right, Scarlett. It has to start first. What are you doing next Wednesday?"

"Probably training at the Performance Center. Why?"

"I'm off that day. I'll come train with you, and then I'll take you out to dinner, for real this time. What do you say?"

"It's a date. See you then, Colby," I said, grinning like an idiot. Yes! I just made a date with Colby! I did a little victory dance in my seat. This is good. This is progress. Maybe if I go on this date, I won't have time to think about Matt.

"See you then, Scarlett. Buenas noches dulces sueños." I knew just enough Spanish to know that Colby was telling me "goodnight and sweet dreams."

"Goodnight, babe. Sweet dreams." I hung up the phone and drove home.

Overall, today was a great day. I got to wrestle with some great people, and even made some new friends. And yes, I even got autographs from Ricky and Bill. What can I say? I'm still a fangirl when it comes to wrestling. I even got some of the people I wrestled with to give me an autograph, even though they looked at me weird. I learned some new things, and of course, I got to talk to Colby. That made my long day so much better. I smiled as I drove home, thinking about what was next. I couldn't wait! As I was driving, I remembered the 10th Doctor's catchphrase and deemed it fitting for this situation:

"Allons-y!"

 _Allons-y_ , indeed.

 **Author's note: So, what do you think about Scarlett and Corey Graves? I know, I know – I love Seth Rollins just as much as the next girl, but damn, Corey Graves knows he's fine! Lol, anyways, do you guys think this will go anywhere, or does Scarlett need to focus on trying to be in a relationship with Colby? Also, this was very subtle, but I used lyrics from Taylor Swift's song "Everything has Changed" to set the scene somewhat. I was going to put in a scene set 18 hours later, but I couldn't think of anything, so use your imaginations! Thanks for reading this chapter!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: So Long, Goodbye**

 **Monday Night, after the Royal Rumble:**

 **January 27, 2014:**

"Hey, where are you going?" I was backstage at _Raw_ , hanging out. I was very interested to see the fallout from the Royal Rumble the night before. I still had some adrenaline coursing through me last night, even though I didn't participate in the pay-per-view.

The party last night was amazing – my friends were pretty cool about letting most of the NXT roster invade our humble abode. Summer, Emma, and Eva naturally couldn't attend, but they texted me, though. I also kind of played matchmaker – I got Willow hooked up with Tyler Breeze, and Brielle with CJ Parker. I found those two making out in the backyard, after he sorted out our trash. I'm all for the environment, but I really didn't care about sorting out the trash while I was trying to watch the Royal Rumble.

Anyway, I was hanging out backstage near gorilla when I saw Phil walk by with his bags packed. Phil wasn't even dressed for action tonight, which I thought was odd. He was dressed in his signature hoodie and jeans, but there was something in the way that he walked that made me go over to him.

He was supposed to come out and do a promo tonight on Raw about how he should have won the Royal Rumble last night and that the main event title match was supposed to be his. Everyone backstage was thinking that he was gonna drop another pipebomb like he did in 2011. Phil looked at me and sighed. I could tell something was wrong with him.

"I'm going home, Scarlett," he said simply.

"What? Why are you going home?" I asked, not liking the tone of his voice. He sounded . . . defeated. Broken. In the short amount of time that I've known Phil, he has never once sounded like he just wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

"You really wanna know?" I nodded.

"I just got word that I'm not even gonna have a title match at Wrestlemania. I have to fight Triple H. Bryan is not even getting a title match at Wrestlemania. I am getting so fucking sick and tired of these guys, like Brock, Dave, and Dwayne coming back and only wrestling a few months and getting a title shot while guys like me, Colby, Jon, Joe, and Bryan have to wait until they leave to get a title shot, maybe not even then because you've got Randy and John that are next in line. I'm so fucking tired of these part-timers coming in and fucking things up when there are guys that show up every goddamn day and work our fucking asses off just to be in midcard hell.

"There are new guys that could be so good if someone would just give them a damn chance. But, no. Vince fucking McMahon and The fucking Authority don't wanna bet on the new guys or the guys that were already here. They want to push nostalgia. That's why the fucking New Age Outlaws are fucking tag team champs instead of guys like Jimmy and Jey, The Shield, hell, even Cody and Dustin. They don't want someone new, someone that can actually keep up with this crazy life. They want someone that's too busy making movies or someone that couldn't cut it in UFC or MMA and has to come crawling back to the damn WWE. They're fucking things up around here, and they're gonna run this Godforsaken company in the ground just like Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan to WCW. I'm not gonna be here when the shit finally hits the fan. So I'm going home. I'm gonna actually get a chance to relax and think about my next move."

I sighed after he told me that he was leaving.

"Oh, Phil." I said sadly. "I hate this! I hate they're treating you like shit. I hate they're treating everyone like shit. This is one of the reasons why I didn't want to be a Diva - because of shit like this. You're one of the best Superstars they have. I know that you and some of the other guys are fed up, and if y'all leave, what's to stop the bigger guys from leaving?"

"They're not gonna leave, I promise you that, Scarlett. They're not gonna risk their cushy paychecks that they get for basically doing nothing just because some of the other people are discontent about how the company's being run. The Authority talks about "what's best for business," and in their warped minds, seeing older guys that can barely wrestle and are only seen behind the scenes or training the rookies is "what's best for business." I'm so tired, Scarlett. I would love to go out there and drop the biggest pipebomb I've ever dropped and just blow all their corporate asses out of the water, but I can't. I can't because I know it's not gonna do me any good. It's not gonna do anyone any damn good at all. I'm done. I'm just so completely fucking done. Goodbye, Scarlett," Phil replied as he turned to walk away from me.

He had just reached his car when I ran up behind him and hugged him tight. I felt his body slump in defeat and then he turned around to wrap those tattooed arms around me. He held me tight and I held him back, afraid that if I let him go, he would break. Maybe he felt the same thing because he didn't let me go for a long while.

"Hey. Look at me, Scarlett," he whispered. I looked up at him and there were tears in his eyes. I've never seen him cry. Then again, I don't know what dark secrets lie behind those pretty hazel eyes and self-sure smile.

"I will miss you. I'm gonna miss coming out here and wrestling for the fans. They're why I became a wrestler to begin with. Just because I'm leaving, doesn't mean you should give up. I still have faith in you, and for an atheist, that's saying something. I will continue to train you, and if you ever come to Chicago, look me up. I'll buy you the best damn pizza you've ever had in your life." That last part made me smile, even though I felt like I was about to cry. He stroked my cheek.

"I really wanted to get to know you better, sweetheart. Something about you keeps pulling at me, and I don't know what it is. I've already talked to AJ. I, um, told her that we needed to take a break right now. Naturally, she went ballistic, but once she calmed down, she realized that it was the best thing to do, for both of us. Vince told me that I was no longer booked for house shows, and I'm not coming back to do the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. They're gonna learn that nostalgia isn't always the best thing in the new world. When they do, I might come back. I might not. Hell, I might even pull a Brock Lesnar - go to UFC."

"You're not going to UFC, Phil. I don't want you getting hurt," I told him fiercely. He looked at me and smiled a sad little smile that didn't even reach his eyes.

"You're not gonna stop me. Haven't you learned by now, sweetheart? I do what I want because I know what's best for me. I gotta go now - can't miss my flight back home. I'll see you around sometime, okay, Scarlett?" I shed a single tear and nodded. Phil wiped that tear away with his thumb.

"I'll - I'll see you around sometime, Phil." I choked up. He sighed and leaned down.

"Can I do one last thing before I go, Miss Scarlett?" he asked softly, running his thumb across my lips. I nodded.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Will you let me kiss you? Just one more time? Please?" I sighed deeply and then stood up on my tiptoes and brushed my lips over his, feeling the warm metal of his lip ring against my lips.

He wrapped his arms around me and wove his fingers through my hair as he kissed me. This kiss felt different than the last few times he kissed me. This felt like a simmering heat, washing over me, warming me from the inside out. I felt radiance pour from his mouth into mine. His kiss didn't match his usually confident personality. No, this was another side of CM Punk, "The Best in the World." This was a side that Phil never let anyone see, except maybe AJ and Amy before her. As we kissed for what was going to be the final time, I heard music in my head, just like always.

This time, the song was from _High School Musical 2-_ (don't judge- I loved those movies) - and it was from Gabriella and Troy's breakup scene, where she told him he was leaving.

" _I'm leaving today_

 _'Cause I gotta do what's best for me_

 _You'll be okay_

 _I've got to move on and be who I am_

 _I just don't belong here_

 _I hope you understand_

 _We might find our place in this world someday_

 _But at least for now,_

 _I gotta go my own way_

 _. . . . ._

 _I gotta leave but I'll miss you_ "

After a while, Phil broke the kiss. He stroked my cheek and leaned down to whisper in my ear,

"I'll miss you, Miss Scarlett. I've never said this before, to anyone, but you just might the one that got away from me. I know you've got this thing going on with Colby, and I'm not gonna continue to break that apart, but you are the one who got away. I'll text you my address so you can come to Chicago one day. See you around, sweetheart." I laced my fingers with his and squeezed tight. I kissed him on the cheek and replied,

"See you around, honey." I hugged him and he hugged me back one last time. I let him go and watched him get in his car and drive away to go home.

As I watched him drive away from the only life he's known for the last decade or so, I couldn't help feeling like a part of me was ripped away from me. I didn't even know him; yet, I couldn't help but feel a little empty.

That comment he made about me being the one who got away made me think. Did he really feel that strongly about me that he would tell his girlfriend that they needed to take a break and then kiss me? That kiss, though. For some reason, I couldn't even feel like I was being slowly lit on fire like that from Colby, and I liked Colby. Did I really, though?

"Okay, shut up, Reed. You don't need to be talking like that." I muttered to myself. "Calm down. He was just giving you a goodbye kiss, that's all. Phil probably only made that comment because he felt like he didn't get the chance to know you better, so shut up. You don't even know what's going on with you and Colby yet, but you're willing to fuck that up to go chasing after a guy that you might never see again." After ranting to myself for a good five minutes or more, I calmed down.

I walked to the Divas' locker room to hang out with my friends before the show started.

"Hey, girl!" Brie said, coming up to give me a hug. I hugged her back and she must've picked up on how I was feeling because she asked,

"What's wrong, Scarlett? You look like you just lost your best friend."

"He wasn't my best friend, but he could've been. Phil just left, and I don't know how to feel about it," I told her.

"Well, come over here and sit down," Brie said, leading me to a bench. I sat down next to her and I told her all about what was going on between Phil and I, or rather, what **wasn't** going on. After I finished, Brie gave me this look that said she felt bad and gave me another hug. Her sister, Nikki, walked over to us just then.

"Hey, Brie. Hey, Scarlett," Nikki said brightly. Nikki was certainly happy. She had just gotten back together with John and she practically skipped everywhere. It was a little annoying, to say the least.

"Hey, Nikki. How are you?" I asked her. Seeing her so happy actually made me happy. Yes, I am totally obsessed with _Total Divas_ , and seeing what had happened last season gave me feels. I mean, massive feels! But, obviously, they had worked things out. Now, I just need to wait until Season Two to find out how it went down.

"I'm great! How are you?" she replied perkily as she walked to her cubby and started getting her ring gear out. Yeesh. I'm all for happy people and love, but jeez, Nikki was just a bit annoying about it. I mean, Brie wasn't this bad, and she's engaged!

"I'm . . . I don't know," I answered honestly. Nikki looked at me and she asked,

"What's going on, girl?"

"Phil just left, and she feels bad about it," Brie told her. Nikki looked at Brie and then back to me. I gave her a sheepish grin.

"Oh, girl, you know better than to get involved with Phil - April will tear you apart!" Nikki exclaimed.

"I know that, Nicole, and I wasn't really involved with him - it was just a few stolen kisses, is all. He told me that I might have been the one who got away, but I don't really believe him. Then there's this whole thing going on with Colby that I'm not really sure about, and it's driving me insane!" I replied. I left out the part about the strong pull I felt towards Matt. I wasn't going to tell anyone that until I figured it out myself. "But I don't bring you down with my drama, Nicole, so I'm just gonna shut up now."

Nikki hugged me tight and then said,

"Honey, you don't have to shut up. You know you can talk to me about whatever's going on with you."

"So, what's this about something going on with you and Colby?" Nikki asked a few minutes later. She had changed into her ring gear and was now stretching.

"Honestly, Nicole, I don't really know. I mean, I like him and he said he likes me too, but I don't really know. We haven't really had the chance to get to know each other well enough yet, with me training and him being Seth Rollins. It's just a little crazy right now."

"Let me tell you something." Brie said. "Nicole and I are with two of the most popular Superstars in the business."

"It's certainly hard to deal with that at times," Nikki supplied as she stretched.

Brie nodded in agreement with her twin and continued on.

"Anyways, the point is, Colby is well on his way to becoming one of the most popular Superstars on the roster. If he really, really likes you and really wants to get to know you, he'll make time, honey, I promise you that. But for now, just do you, okay? Don't worry about what a guy feels or doesn't feel. Focus on training so you can come play with the big girls, alright?"

I nodded and smiled at Brie. She gave me a big hug and then went to go stretch with Nikki.

"Thank you, Brie and Nikki. Y'all have helped a lot, and Nikki?"

"Yea, Scarlett?"

"I'm glad you got back together with John. I felt bad for you after watching last season," I told her. She smiled at me and then she said,

"Thanks, girl. Now go get your cute butt outta here - my sister and I have work to do." She slapped my butt and I turned around with wide eyes. Nikki giggled and blew me a kiss. I rolled my eyes and waved goodbye to the twins and walked out of the dressing room.

I made my way to catering when I bumped into someone.

"Oh. Sorry, dude. Didn't see you there." The person turned around and it was Colby. I couldn't stop the silly grin that made its way onto my lips. He smiled at me too and then immediately pulled me into a crushing bear hug.

"Dude! Can't-breathe! You're-hugging-too-tight!" I managed to get out as Colby bear hugged me. He let go and set me down. I inhaled deeply and he laughed.

"You asshole!" I yelled at him, but I wasn't being mean about it.

"Sorry, babe. It's just good to see you," Colby replied, giving me another huge smile.

"It's really good to see you, too. Still sore from last night?" I asked. Colby rubbed the back of his neck in response.

"Hell, yea, I'm still sore. Getting thrown over the top rope by Joe didn't exactly help matters, either. Are you doing okay?" Sweet niblets, was I that damn easy to read?!

"I guess. I just talked to Phil. He just left all of a sudden. It's weird," I told him.

"Yea, I saw him leaving just a few minutes ago. He looked pissed. Maybe Vince told him to leave?"

"That wasn't it. He left on his own terms. He told me that he talked to Vince and told him that he was going home. Phil also told me that the reason why he was going home is that he's quitting. He's done with the company because of the way things are going right now. He's pissed off because guys like you, him, Bryan, Joe, y'all are getting pushed aside for part-timers and older guys that don't really need to be here anymore. I can't say I disagree with him, but I don't really know why he just left like that." I sighed after I finished telling Colby what happened and his response was to wrap his arms around me and hold me close. I laid my head on his chest and then looked up at him.

"I'm sorry Phil put that on you, Scarlett."

"He didn't _put_ anything on me. I asked him what was wrong and he told me. I feel bad for him because this is all he knows. Wrestling has been part of his life for who knows how long, and now he doesn't have that anymore. That's enough to make anyone insane," I told him. Colby nodded.

"I understand. Wrestling's been a part of my life for a long time, too. You're right - having that taken away from someone would drive anyone nuts. I can see why Phil went home, but I'm still trying to figure out what his deal is with you." I rolled my eyes at him.

"You're seriously getting jealous right now, Colby? Really? Really?"

"Nice Miz impression, Scarlett."

"Thank you."

"Okay, I guess I am. I don't know how to deal with this. Ever since I met you, you've been on my mind. That kiss last week? I can't get it out of my head. Everytime I go home to Davenport, I keep wishing that I was in Orlando with you. I really, really like you, Scarlett, and I wanna get to know you better. I really do. That's why I can't wait until Wednesday. I'm gonna come down there and we're gonna train, and then we're just gonna go hang out and get to know each other better. Okay?"

I looked at him, and remembered what Brie had told me: **_If he really likes you, he'll make the time for you._**

"Alright. You better not bail on me again, okay? I don't care who you are in the ring- outside, you better be Colby Lopez, or I'm gonna kick your ass, Crossfit or not," I told him. He smiled at me and kissed my cheek.

"I promise I won't bail on you, baby. Not this time, okay?"

"Good, you better not."

"You're really gonna kick my ass?" Colby asked a few minutes later. We were stuffing our faces with the food that catering had provided for us while we were sitting on a crate backstage.

"Yep. You'll find that out Wednesday," I replied, giving him a sweet, but slightly evil, grin.

"Oh, I can't wait. So what's the prize if I win?"

"Not that it'll happen, but I'll pay for dinner that night. And if I win?" Colby scratched his chin as he considered this.

"Hmm. . . you don't have to pay for dinner, Scarlett. Let me do that. Why don't we worry about payment later?"

"Alright. We can do that, Colby," I replied. I finished off my sandwich and downed the last bit of my drink.

"You wanna head to the TV room real quick?" Colby asked.

"Sure. I was planning on hanging out in there, anyways. Let's go."

We made our way to the TV room where we settled in to watch post-Rumble _Raw_ until Joe popped in.

"Hey, there you are, Colby. Come on, it's time to go. Hey, Scarlett," Joe said. I got up to hug Joe.

"Hey, Joe. You totally should've won the Rumble last night. If that wasn't injustice, I don't know what is. That was a bullshit Rumble." He hugged me back, and his hug crushed me harder than Colby's did.

"Ack! Joe! Colby- help- me!" I managed to say. Colby walked over to Joe and pried me out of Joe's arms. He held me in his arms as I caught my breath.

"Damn, Joe. You trying to kill my girl?"

"Nah. She can handle herself. Come on, we gotta go now," Joe told him. They were walking out of the TV room when Joe turned back to me.

"Thanks, Scarlett. I appreciate that. Maybe one day, I'll get my Rumble win."

"I hope you do, Joe. Now go kick some ass, will ya?" I told them, mock pushing them out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Later that night:**

I was just about to leave the TV room when the door opened. It was Jon.

"Hey." I got up to hug him. He hugged me back. "Sorry about your match. I was really looking forward to seeing y'all in the Chamber."

"You aren't the only one," Jon replied. He was clearly pissed off.

"Well, I'm sure you'll get a match with the Wyatts at the Chamber pay-per-view," I said optimistically. I added a smile at the end, just to reassure him. He looked at me and shook his head.

"Ever the optimist, aren't you, darling?" Jon asked.

"Always, **darling** ," I replied, mocking him a bit. He rolled his eyes.

"So . . . what's up?" I asked him. Jon and I didn't really talk that much, so this conversation was certainly odd.

"Okay, this is gonna sound stupid, but I think I need to tell you this," Jon said. I looked at him warily. What could he possibly have to tell me?

"Well?" I asked, motioning for him to continue. Jon sighed deeply.

"It's about Colby."

"What about him?" Okay, this is getting a little weird. Why would Jon be talking to me about Colby?

"I think you need to either slow down or just not get involved with him at all," Jon told me. Huh?

"Um, can I ask why? And we're going about as slow as a turtle right now. Any slower, and we'll be an iceberg hitting a ship," I joked.

Jon rolled his eyes at my lame attempt at humor.

"Ha ha. Funny. No, just try not to get involved with him, alright?"

"Why? What's wrong with him?" I asked. This was entirely way too weird to be dealing with right now. Colby and I hadn't even started anything yet, and here Jon was, telling me to stay away from him? Like, what the actual fuck, dude?

"I can't tell you right now, Scarlett," Jon replied. "It's for your own good." I gave him a "wtf?" look and sighed exasperatedly. I pushed past him and walked out of the TV room.

"You'll thank me later, Scarlett!" Jon yelled after me as I walked away from him. I stormed into the Divas' locker room to get my stuff. I was busy stuffing my things into my bag when the door opened.

"Jon, I swear to God, if you came in here to give me more cryptic bullshit, I will beat the holy hell out of you," I snapped.

"Um, I'm pretty sure I'm not Jon. Why are you talking about my husband?" I turned around to see Trinity walking over to her cubby.

"Sorry, Trin." I told her, zipping up my bag. "It's not your Jon, it's Jon Good I'm mad at. The rat bastard." Trinity cocked her head to the side and gave me an odd look.

"Um, you wanna talk about it?" she asked, putting her ring gear in her suitcase and closing it.

I sighed.

"Yea, sure." So, I explained to her about Colby, and then I told her what Jon had said to me about Colby.

"That's . . . a little weird for Jon to be doing that. Did he ever say why he doesn't want you to get involved with Colby?" Trin asked.

"Actually, no. No, he didn't. I just walked away from him at that point. I know he might mean well, but the last thing he said was "You'll thank me later." I have no clue what he meant by don't get involved with Colby. It's weird," I told her.

"I don't know what's inside that man's brain, but honey, I think you may need to talk to Colby about this. Although, you should probably wait and see what happens with him, because if you just go after him, you might screw up something before it's had a chance to start," Trin replied.

"Thank you, Trin. You've definitely helped a lot," I said, giving her a hug. She hugged me back and stood up. I stood up and got my bag.

"You're gonna be okay?" she asked, grabbing her suitcase and other bags.

"Yea, I'll be fine," I replied, smiling at her. Trin smiled back and gave me another hug.

"You can come talk to me if you need to, alright?"

"I will. I'll probably find you with Brie and Nikki. They told me to come talk to them, as well."

"Good. I can't wait to see you on NXT. See you around sometime!" Trin called out as she left the locker room.

I took my bag and walked out of the locker room after her. As I was walking out of the arena, I thought about what just happened. Today was weird as hell. Between Phil leaving, possibly for good, and Jon telling me to stay away from Colby, my mind was just whirling. I needed to go home and relax and process all of this.

I had just reached my rental car when my phone rang. I took it out of my hoodie pocket and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Scarlett. I'm almost in Chicago." My heart came up into my throat. Phil?

"Ph - Phil. Hey," I whispered.

"Hey, yourself. I couldn't leave things like that. I just wanted to know if you really do wanna come to Chicago one day."

"I do, Phil. But maybe not right now. I mean, I still need to train and stuff."

"I know that, and I'm certainly not asking you to play hooky. Okay, maybe I am," Phil said with a laugh, "but I wanna see you someday. You still never really agreed to dinner with me." I rolled my eyes as I put my stuff in the trunk of the car. I slammed the trunk and got into the car.

"I know that, Phil. I'll go to dinner with you, if you come to Orlando so we can train, and so I can kick your ass," I replied, laughing. Phil laughed at that one.

"Sweetheart, I'm the "Best in the World." I doubt you can kick my ass."

"Put your money where your mouth is, then, sweetheart," I retorted. I could picture Phil smirking at that one.

"Sure. I'll be down there this weekend. How's that sound? Then we'll see who the best in the world really is."

"I'm down like a clown, Charlie Brown," I replied. I know, I know - the things that come out of my mouth sometimes don't make sense. Phil burst into loud laughter, which I'm sure disturbed nearby passengers. I smiled at hearing his laughter. I think he needed that.

"Oh, Miss Scarlett, the things you say sometimes. Alright, I gotta go- plane's about to land. I'll text you later, alright?"

"Alright. I'll talk to you later, Phil."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight." I hung up the phone and drove to the airport, where I hopped a nonstop flight from the frigid tundra that was Pittsburgh to a slightly warmer Orlando.

I drove home in my trusty truck, and silently made my way into my home. I looked at the stove clock- it read 1:35 am. Thank Jebus I had taken a non-stop. I was tired. I walked into my room and immediately fell into bed, still fully clothed.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Is It Cool if I Hold Your Hand?**

 **February 1, 2014:**

 _This is so not how I envisioned my morning_ , I thought as I was sent flying over the top rope by Sara. I growled low in my throat as I climbed back into the ring for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Focus, Scarlett!" Sara yelled at me. I glared at her as I went for a running clothesline. I felt a twinge of vindication as I watched her fall to the mat. I went for the pin and she kicked out. Dammit! I had to do something- Sara was quite literally kicking my ass. I climbed up her and applied a sleeper hold, a lá AJ.

"Good job, Scarlett," Sara whispered as she sank down to the ground. I was so confident that I had her right where I wanted her, so I released the sleeper hold and went for a pin.

"1, 2, 3!" Yes! I finally pinned Sara and it wasn't even lunchtime yet. I mentally patted myself on the back as I helped Sara up and she told me,

"You're certainly improving, Scarlett."

"I didn't have any choice after you kept sending me flying over the ropes about a million and one times. It was either that or give up, and that's something I just don't know how to do," I replied. Sara smiled at me and clapped me on the back. _Ow._

"Good. I like to see that in a Diva. Alright, now go cool down. You've got another workout coming up soon," Sara said as she reached for her bag. She pulled out a pack of Extra Mint Chocolate Chip gum, unwrapped a piece and began chewing on it.

"And here I thought I was the only one that loved gum," I told her, laughing.

"Nope. Gum is like my life, seriously! I have to go to the store at least every other day so I can get some more gum."

"Do you go to Sam's Club? I think I saw a box that had 24 flavors of gum in the pack. Either that, or I go to Walmart where they have those bags that have 180 pieces in it," I told her. Sara looked at me with wide eyes.

"I need to try that!" she exclaimed. I laughed at that and she joined in.

"Scarlett!" a voice called out. I turned around to see Colby walking towards me, and my smile got bigger. He was shirtless, which kinda made me lose all coherent thought, and he was wearing a pair of black gym shorts along with a pair of black and white Reeboks. He walked over to Sara and I and picked me up in his arms.

"Told ya I'd be here, babe," Colby said as he kissed me on the cheek. I grinned as I kissed his cheek.

"I'm glad," I said.

"Hey, Sara. How are you?" Colby asked as he put me down to give Sara a hug.

"I'm doing great," Sara replied as she hugged him back.

"You getting my girl whipped into shape?" Colby asked. I responded by swatting his chest.

"She's certainly doing well, that's for sure," Sara told him.

"I could be better, though," I said to both of them. Colby looked at me and replied,

"Why don't you show me what you got, then? Sara, wanna be the ref?"

I looked from Colby to Sara and back again. A match with Seth Rollins. How many girls can say that?

"I'm game. What about you, Sara?" I asked. Sara shrugged her shoulders.

"Sure. Let's go."

We walked to an open ring and climbed in. Colby and I stood on opposite sides while Sara stood in the middle.

"Don't hurt her," Sara told Colby.

"I don't think you have to worry about Colby hurting me," I retorted. I grinned at Colby and he smirked back.

"Put your money where your mouth is, then, sweetheart," he replied.

"Alright, go!" Sara yelled. We circled around the ring a few times before locking up. We locked up a few times until I brought my knee up into Colby's stomach. He groaned as he doubled over in pain and I took the opportunity to bring my elbow down into his shoulder blades. Once he was down on the mat, I rolled him over and attempted to pin him, but he kicked out.

"Damn, girl!" Colby exclaimed when he got up. I grinned evilly and then tried to Irish whip him, but he turned it on me and sent me flying into the corner. I leaned up against the post as I saw him running towards me. At the absolute last second, I managed to duck between the top and middle ropes. I then flipped over and kicked him in the face, just like Christian and Kofi did. After I kicked him, I flipped over only to land in Colby's arms. I looked up at him and he grinned just before placing me on his shoulders. Oh, hell no. I started squirming around, but it was no use. He started running and then planted me square on my back in the middle of the ring because of a Samoan Drop. Joe has certainly been teaching him a few moves, that's for sure.

I laid there for a few minutes, trying to catch my breath. I watched as Colby lifted my leg up and Sara counted to two. I kicked out and shoved Colby off of me. He pulled me up by my arm and clotheslined me, sending me to the mat. My head bounced off the mat and I felt slightly dazed for a bit.

"Jeez, Colby, take it easy!" Sara shouted. She bent down to me and asked,

"Hey. Scarlett, you alright?"

I looked up at her and gave her a toothy grin.

"Never better, darling," I told her as I did a kip-up. I stood in front of Colby and he looked at me with those brown eyes.

"You sure you're alright? I didn't mean to hit you that hard," he said.

"It's okay, Colby." I gave him a grin and then shoved him. That didn't exactly work, so I did a roundhouse kick on him, knocking him down onto his knees. I then walking around him, kicking him. Hearing his groans kind of turned me on, but I couldn't lose focus now.

"Good job, Scarlett! Way to use your height to your advantage!" Sara called out. Once I had kicked Colby to my satisfaction, I gave a wicked smile to Sara.

"You're not about to do what I think you're about to do, are you, Scarlett?" Sara asked, grinning as well.

"What is she about to - aah!" Colby started to say, but he was cut off by me. I did a small backbreaker, which set him up for the Southern Cross. I pushed him down onto his stomach, and proceeded to lock him into the Southern Cross. I stepped on the back of his knees and it took a little more effort, but I managed to pull him back and on top of me as I tangled my legs with his. Again, that thought was making me kinda hot, but I pushed that and all dirty thoughts out of my mind as I crossed his arms behind his back.

"Do you give up, Colby?" Sara asked. Colby shook his head, so I tightened the hold, bringing his arms up to the back of his neck. As I did this, I studied the tattoos on his back and left wrist, and wondered what they meant.

"Alright, alright! I give up! Let me go!" Colby shouted.

"Sara, you're gonna have to get him. I don't want him crushing me when he falls back," I told her. I loosened up on Colby's arms and Sara helped to pull him to a kneeling position. He sat there for a while, panting as I got up. I stood in front of him and held out my hand. He looked up and gave me a lopsided grin as he stood up. He stroked my hand with his thumb and I had to suppress the little shiver as I felt the electricity course through my hand.

"Sara, you've definitely got a good one here," Colby said, looking at me as he said it. I smiled and blushed.

"I know I'm good, Colby. I could be better, though, and I will be better," I replied confidently.

"I have no doubt of this," Colby told me, leaning in to kiss my forehead.

"Hey, save the personal stuff for the date," Sara said with a laugh. I couldn't help but laugh along with her, and neither could Colby.

"Well, thanks for the match, Scarlett. See you tonight?" Colby asked as he helped me out of the ring. I hopped down and began walking to the locker room.

"Yea. I will definitely see you tonight. Where are we going?" I asked.

"I made reservations at Fleming's."

"Oh my glob, Colby! Fleming's? God, I loved going to that place in Atlanta. My friends took me there when I got accepted into wrestling school, and again on my 21st birthday. It was just perfect. The food, the service, and of course, the drinks," I finished with a laugh. Colby smiled at me, and then leaned down to kiss me on the lips.

"What was that for?" I asked softly after he broke the kiss. I could still feel the electric current in my lips, and I wondered if I would ever get over that.

"Just felt like it," Colby replied, leaning in to kiss me again. I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair as I kissed him back. He snaked his arm around my waist and held me close as we kissed. Even though I felt like I was on fire while I was kissing him, I couldn't help but hear Jon's cryptic warning playing in my head: **_Don't get involved with Colby . . . It's for your own good . . ._**

And for some stupid reason, I couldn't help but hear this Taylor Swift song playing in my head:

" _This slope is treacherous_

 _This path is reckless_

 _This slope is treacherous_

 _And I, I, I like it_ "

 _Yea, I may like it right now, but what happens if Jon's right?_ I thought as I continued to kiss Colby. That thought made me break off the kiss abruptly.

"Scarlett? What's going on?" Colby asked, looking at me with those gorgeous brown eyes. What the hell was I thinking? Could I really go on a date with this man when I didn't know a damn thing about him, his past? He looked so concerned, like a puppy who was trying to figure out how to make its owner feel better. I gave him a wan smile that didn't reach my eyes.

"I'm alright, Colby." I told him, patting his sweaty chest. "I guess I was just caught off-guard, is all."

"Huh?" Colby asked in confusion, and then it dawned on him. "Oh. I kissed you without you asking. Again. I'm sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm gonna go ahead and go. I'll see you tonight?" I nodded.

"Yea. I'll see you tonight."

"Okay. Bye, Scarlett," Colby said, giving me a small, awkward wave.

"Bye, Colby," I replied, doing the same. I watched him leave and I sighed.

 _What the hell am I gonna do?_ I thought. _I can't possibly go on a date with Colby now, not after this. On the other hand, maybe going out on that date would give me at least a little bit of insight into who Colby really is._

I walked to the locker room, busy contemplating this and was just about to open the door when it came flying open and sending me flat on my ass.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" I heard a girl say. I was just about to look up when my eyes caught something. It was a huge rose on a toned, tan leg. It was a really pretty tattoo. I looked up to see a gorgeous girl extending her hand out to me. I accepted and stood up.

"I am so sorry! I didn't see you there!" she kept repeating. Her long black hair was in a ponytail, and her big brown eyes looked so full of concern.

"Hey, hey." I laid my hands on her shoulders and then put a finger up to my lips.

"It's alright! Really, it is. I'm fine. I just had a practice match that hurt harder than that, honestly." The girl looked at me with those wide eyes and I almost hugged her right then, but I stopped myself.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked me. I nodded.

"Promise. I'm Scarlett. What's your name?" I asked, holding out my hand for her to shake.

"I'm Cherish. I'm new here. How long have you been here?" I looked down at my imaginary watch.

"Oh, about . . . a week. How long have you been here?" Cherish tucked some loose hair behind her ear and replied,

"I just got here, actually. I need to go find Sara?"

"Yea, she's over there," I told her, pointing Sara out, who was busy showing Eva and Sasha how to execute different moves.

"Thank you. Hey, did I just see you with Seth Rollins?"

I ducked my head and bit my lip. I looked up at her and nodded.

"Yea. You did, but I don't know where it's going, if anywhere," I answered honestly. Cherish looked at me and then she gave me a hug.

"Oh!" I gasped as she hugged me. I hugged her back, and then I asked,

"What was that for, Cherish?"

"You felt bad, and I wanted to make you feel better. Don't worry, I won't say anything about you kissing Seth Rollins. He's cute and all, but my favorite Shield member is Roman Reigns! He is just too damn good-looking for his own good!" Cherish gushed. I laughed at that one.

"Yea, Joe is pretty good-looking. I guess it runs in his family. Hey, listen. I gotta go to the workout room for a little while, but do you want a sparring partner later? Ya know, since we're both rookies?" I asked her. I swear, I saw her light up like a brand-new Christmas tree on Thanksgiving Day **_(A/N: my family puts our tree up on Thanksgiving, so yea haha)._**

"Oh, good! I'm kinda scared to ask anyone else. All those great Divas intimidate me, especially Sara. I heard she was trained by Daniel Bryan." I looked over at Sara, who was showing some of the other Divas how to do a running bulldog.

"Yea, she was, actually. He was just in here the other day, along with Brie. They were helping us out and Brie even picked up some new moves from Sara. I think she called it the Bellabuster or Brie Mode? Anyways, it looked pretty cool. Yes, Sara's certainly intimidating, but she's really nice and she's always willing to help you if you need it. Don't worry, you're in good hands with Sara," I told her. Cherish smiled at me and then walked over to Sara's group.

I walked into the locker room, where I immediately found the bathroom and locked myself into a stall and just sat on the toilet for a while. I just sat there thinking about what I needed to do. There was no way that I could let a potential relationship get in the way of me being the best Diva I could possibly be, but on the other hand, why couldn't I have a relationship? There were plenty of Divas on the roster who have relationships with the Superstars. Hell, even Stephanie McMahon herself was married to a WWE Superstar, had three kids, and still found time to run a multi-billion dollar industry.

After a few minutes, I unlocked the stall door and walked over to the sink to wash my hands and splash some cold water on my face. I walked out of the bathroom and headed over to Sara's ring, where Saraya was wrestling JoJo. I had to suppress my laughter when Saraya demolished her in about a minute. I know, I know - JoJo is new, like me, but she really needs to improve quickly or leave. I climbed into the ring and watched Sara teach us how to do submission moves. As we were working on our submission moves, I noticed Cherish working with Mercedes (Sasha Banks). I guess it's true what they say - even the baddest heel can be super nice in real life. Everytime Cherish would botch something, Mercedes would help her up and slowly teach her the correct way to do it. Eventually, Cherish would get the hang of it and Mercedes would cheer her on.

"Hey, Scarlett?" Cherish asked a few minutes later. We were in the Superstar Lounge, eating lunch and just chilling out.

"Yea, Cherish?" I replied as I took a bite out of my chicken sandwich.

"How long have you been wrestling?"

"About four years. I moved to Atlanta when I was 17, and I started wrestling up there. I came here because I met Phil Brooks on a plane," I told her. Cherish's jaw dropped as she stared at me wide-eyed. I started waving my hands and replied,

"No, no, no! It wasn't like that at all! My friends had bought me tickets to Raw a few weeks ago, and while we were on the plane, Punk overheard us talking and he got me a meeting with Stephanie, Paul and Vince. Not exactly a fun experience."

"I know how you feel. Meeting Vince was odd. It's like you go in there expecting the hardass you see on TV, and you get this kind grandfather figure. Honestly, meeting Stephanie was scary. God, meeting that woman was nerve-wracking! Did you have a try-out match?"

"I did. I was supposed to fight AJ, but I dropped a pipebomb on her in the locker room beforehand, and Eva Marie had to take her place. I beat her, though."

"Eva Marie? God, she's horrible! I mean, I know she's new, but there's just something about her that I don't like."

"She's really sweet, though. I promise, once you get to know Eva, you'll like her," I told Cherish with a smile.

"Hello, ladies." I rolled my eyes as Matt sat down across from us and started eating his food.

"Hey, Matt. This is the new girl, Cherish. Cherish, this is Matt, or, as he's better known as, Corey Graves." Matt did his lame head nod and Cherish rolled her eyes.

"He's a bit of a dork, isn't he?" Cherish whispered to me. I nodded.

"He is. But he's cool. So, what's up, Matt?"

"Gas prices," Matt said sarcastically as he ate his burger and fries.

"Ha ha ha. You should be a comedian because you're a laugh riot," I replied with the same amount of snarkiness.

"Sorry, babe. Nick's the only comedian around here." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Are you always this much of a smartass?" Cherish asked Matt. He looked at her and cocked an eyebrow.

"Only on days that end in Y, doll," Matt deadpanned. Cherish sighed, and then she burst out laughing. I looked at her and then Matt, and then began cracking up myself.

"Why do you always laugh at me? Jeez, Scarlett, I'm beginning to think you don't like me," Matt pouted. I laid my hand on his and replied,

"If you weren't so damn funny, I wouldn't laugh at you, Matt. It's good to have a sense of humor. That's what girls usually look for."

"So, you're looking for a guy with a sense of humor?" Matt asked, taking his hand out from under mine and laying it on top of mine. I looked down to see his thumb stroking mine, and I couldn't stop myself from imaging how he must feel. I looked back up to see those bright green eyes boring into my light blue ones. _What is it about this guy that's making me crazy?_ I wondered. I haven't stopped thinking about him since I met him, even when I was around Colby. Something about Matt is drawing me in more and more and it's scary, almost, the way I feel about him. I wonder if he feels the same way. Wait, what? No, no, he doesn't. _You're not thinking with your head_ , Scarlett, I thought. _You're thinking with something else; something that you shouldn't be thinking with_.

"Hey. Earth to Scarlett!" Cherish exclaimed, waving her hand in front of my face. I jumped and took my hand out from under Matt's.

"Sorry, sweetheart, but I've already got one," I told him. Matt nodded.

"Hmm. Figures. Who is it?" Matt asked. He still had a smile on his face, but it looked like he was trying to keep it in place. That was odd. The badass of NXT was trying not to act jealous? Jeez, what magic did I wield over these guys?! I mean, I know I'm pretty and all, and I don't have a horrible personality, but honestly, I still don't know what attracts guys to me.

"Colby. He's taking me out on a date tonight. He told me y'all are best friends," I replied.

"We are. So, does that mean you're his girlfriend now?" Matt asked. My response was to immediately drink my entire bottle of water. Matt and Cherish just stared at me.

"Aah! That was a good bottle of water!" I said in lieu of answering Matt's question.

"Scar. Really? You're not even gonna answer my question?" I sighed and looked at him.

"I don't know if I'm gonna be his girlfriend or not. This is just the first date. I don't know where it's gonna go from here."

"Where do you want it to go?" Matt asked. I looked away and then back to Matt.

"I don't know. I mean, I like him, and he said he likes me, but then Jon told me last week to stay away from Colby and never gave me a reason why. And ever since Colby told me he'd be taking me out on the date tonight, Jon's stupid warning has been playing in my head. Stupid Jon," I muttered angrily as I tore off a bite of my sandwich.

"That's weird. He never told you why?" Cherish asked.

"Nope, and it's annoying me because now, I've got this little bit of doubt in my mind that there's something I should know about Colby, but I don't wanna find out what it is. I want him to tell me instead of waiting for it to blindside me," I replied, running my hands through my hair.

"Hey, I'm sure Colby will tell you if there's something you should know about him. He doesn't really open up, but when he does, you'll know it. Also, you can always talk to me if you have problems with him," Matt said, squeezing my hand. I looked at him and asked,

"Are you sure?" Matt nodded. "So, I just need to wait and see if he tells me? What if it's something bad, like he's got a girlfriend back home?"

"Then, he'll have to man up and tell you. If he doesn't, I'll just have to kick his ass."

"Y'all are best friends, though. I don't think Colby would appreciate you kicking his ass for lying to me."

"You'd kick Willow's ass if she lied to you about something huge, wouldn't you, Scar?" Matt asked. I thought about this. I know Willow has never lied to me, but if she did, you can bet your bottom dollar I'd kick her ass.

"Yea, actually, I would kick her ass. Especially if she knew something that someone close to her had the right to know," I told him.

"There's your answer. I'm gonna go workout. Have fun on your date tonight!" Matt called out as he left the Lounge. After he left, Cherish turned to me and asked,

"Who's Willow?"

"My best friend. She actually came with me to Atlanta when we graduated high school, and she encourage me to pursue my dream of wrestling. Without her, I probably wouldn't be where I am right now," I said with a smile, thinking of Willow. That girl was one of the main reasons I decided to go for this crazy dream of being a wrestler.

I was just about to open my mouth to tell Cherish something else when Colby walked up to us. I ducked my head and looked away from him.

"I think I hear Mercedes calling me. I'm gonna go see what she wants," Cherish told me as she put her hand on my shoulder and left. I sent her a silent thank-you as I watched her leave.

"Hey, Colby," I said, giving him a small smile.

"Hey." He looked at me with those brown eyes and I could tell that something was bothering him. "What's going on, Scarlett? Are you alright? You've been kinda avoiding me since I kissed you earlier. Was there something in my teeth?" Colby asked, brushing his finger over his teeth, which didn't have anything in them.

"No. You're perfect. I guess I'm just nervous about tonight, is all. It's the first **first** date I've had in a while, and I'm just worried about it. I don't know anything about you, and it scares me," I told him honestly. Colby nodded and then he brushed some loose hair off of my face. I looked up at him and gave him a real smile. It was a small one, but it was real. He smiled back at me and then he said,

"Scarlett, I don't know anything about you, either. This scares me too, but that's what this date is for, so we can get to know each other. I'm kinda hoping you'll let me get to know you better." He bit his lip after he finished talking and I laid my hand on his scruffy face.

"Alright, Colby. We can get to know each other better, but you have to be completely honest with me. I've had someone that I trusted lie to me before, and I didn't like it one bit. It sucked."

"Is this the same guy where you said you broke his bones and his truck?" I nodded. I had to keep those thoughts from flooding my mind. _He's not Colby!_ I screamed at myself. _He's not Colby._ _Colby wouldn't lie to me, not like he did._

"Don't worry, Scarlett." Colby said softly. Whoa. It was like he was reading my mind. "I'm not gonna force you to tell me if you don't want to. Just know one thing. I'm not him. I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise you this. Alright?" Colby mussed up my hair and I smacked him in the chest.

"Dude!" I exclaimed as I took my ponytail down and then put it back up again. Colby laughed at me and I had to roll my eyes and laugh with him.

"Alright, come on. We gotta get outta here before nine. That's when I made the reservations," Colby mentioned.

"Alright. Let's go so I can kick your ass again," I quipped. Colby rolled his eyes and laughed as we walked back to the rings, his arm around my waist. Matt saw us as we passed and I shrugged. Matt shook his head and smiled at me and did his guy head nod at Colby, who returned it.

I drove home quickly after my training session. If you're wondering, yes, I did kick his ass again, but not before he kicked mine. He even taught me some of his old moves that he used as Tyler Black in Ring of Honor and Sara helped me modify them, as well as teach me some of her old Ring of Honor moves. I pulled into my driveway and ran into my house.

"Whoa, hey! Where's the fire?!" Brielle exclaimed as I rushed by her to my bedroom.

"Gotta date with Colby! Can't talk!" I hollered back as I ran into my bathroom. I hurriedly showered, dried off, and put my favorite Victoria's Secret lotion on. I called Willow into the bathroom so she could help me with my hair.

"First date?" Willow asked as she blow-dried my hair. I swear, that girl can do wonders with hair; it's amazing the creations she's made for us. Brielle and Tucker walked into the bathroom just then.

"Can we help?" they asked. I nodded and they got to work. Tucker went to my room and found first-date worthy clothes while Brielle helped to prep my face so she could put makeup on. After Willow finished blow-drying my hair, she looked in the mirror.

"What do you think? Down or up?"

"Hmm . . . I'm thinking down," Brielle replied. "Scarlett? What do you think?"

I cocked my head and stared at my reflection.

"Down. Definitely down. What are you gonna use for makeup, Brielle?"

"I'm waiting on Tucker to get back with the clothes before I decide that." As if he heard us talking about him, Tucker came in with a gorgeous outfit **_(A/N: external link is pic of Scarlett's date-night outfit)_**. It was a black lace crop top (sorry, I suck at explaining things), with a coral hi-low skirt, black wedge heels, and a really cute lace purse.

"Awww! Tucker, that's gorgeous!" we gushed. Tucker took a little bow.

"Thank you. I've seen you wear these at separate times, but never together. I threw it together, honestly," Tucker told us, with a touch of mock humility. We rolled our eyes, and they finished helping me get dressed.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. We looked towards it and I took a deep breath. My friends walked me to the door and gave me hugs.

"Have fun on the date tonight!" they exclaimed happily. I grinned at them and gave them a thumbs-up. I opened the door, and all of our jaws dropped. Colby had certainly cleaned up, that was for sure. He was wearing dark blue skinny jeans with black Vans, a dark gray V-neck t-shirt with a black blazer.

"Well, hello, Mr. Lopez. You certainly clean up nice, don't you?" I asked him. He couldn't help but grin and he adjusted the lapels of his blazer.

"When I can, Miss Reed." Colby answered. I gave him a huge smile and he leaned over to peck me on the cheek. "You look . . . damn gorgeous." I blushed to the roots of my hair.

"Thank you, Colby. I didn't do it all myself, though. They helped," I told him, as I pointed to my friends. I turned around to see them waving at us and Colby waved back to them.

"Well, they didn't have to do much, Scarlett. You're already beautiful." I blushed again.

"Well, don't y'all have a date to get to?" Tucker asked.

"We do. Shall we?" Colby asked, holding his arm out to me like an old Southern gentleman. I took his arm and walked out the door with him.

"Bye, y'all!" my friends called out. Colby opened the door of his car for me and I got in. He walked around to his side and I took a few steadying breaths. Once he got in, he looked at me.

"Ready for our date, Scarlett?" Colby questioned. I nodded and replied,

"I can't wait. Let's go!"

As Colby was driving me to the restaurant, I was playing around with his radio until I found an old song that I liked. My eyes widened at the song that was playing. Colby looked down at his dash and shook his head.

"It's a fitting song, that's for sure," he chuckled. I started singing along with Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge. I even attempted to drum along with Travis Barker.

" _In the car I just can't wait,_

 _To pick you up on our very first date_

 _Is it cool if I hold your hand?_

 _Is it wrong if I think it's lame to dance?_

 _Do you like my stupid hair?_

 _Would you guess that I didn't know what to wear?_

 _I'm too scared of what you think_

 _You make me nervous so I really can't eat_

 _Let's go, don't wait, this night's almost over_

 _Honest, let's make this night last forever_

 _Forever and ever, let's make this last forever_

 _Forever and ever, let's make this last forever_ "

Colby sang along with me and even drummed on the steering wheel. After the song was over, we fell into fits of laughter.

"I love that song so much! I can't believe that came up just now," I laughed. Colby smiled as he drove.

"Here we are," Colby said a little while later. We pulled up into the parking lot of Fleming's and I leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

"What was that for?" Colby asked as he smiled.

"Just a thank you. I'm glad you're here, Colby," I replied with a smile of my own. Colby leaned over to kiss my cheek and then he got out of the car to walk around to open my door. He held his hand out and I laced my fingers with his. We walked up to the entryway, where he opened the door for me.

"And they said chivalry is dead," I remarked as we walked up to the hostess desk.

"Not with me, darling," Colby replied as he slid his arm around my waist. I dipped my head and grinned.

"Hi! Welcome to Fleming's! Do you have a reservation?" the hostess asked. I cocked an eyebrow as she stared at Colby just a little bit too long. _Stare all you want, honey_ , I thought. _He's coming home with me, though_. She completely ignored me the entire time she was trying to flirt with Colby.

"Yes. Two under Black, please," Colby told her. She looked down at the reservations book and then she replied in an annoyingly flirtatious tone,

"Two for Black. Follow me, sir." The hostess batted her eyes at Colby and I was thisclose to bitch-slapping her. She gave Colby a flirty smile and turned around to lead us to our table, making sure to swish her hips in what was supposed to be a sexy way. I just found it annoying and I wanted to rip out her obvious weave. I sneered behind her back and Colby whispered in my ear,

"Don't worry, darling. She's pretty, but you are stunning. Besides, I'm not going home with her, now, am I?" I looked up at him and kissed his cheek.

"I should hope not," I replied in a low tone. The hostess stopped in front of our table and Colby walked me to my chair, where he pulled it out for me. I beamed at him as I sat down. He had this goofy little smile on his face as he sat down in his chair.

The hostess gave us our menus, and then she turned to Colby, once again ignoring me.

"A waiter will be right with you in just a moment, sir." Colby looked up from the menu and turned his full charm on her.

"Thank you very much, ma'am," he told her. She looked like she was about to melt and practically skipped back to the front desk.

"Hey. You're gonna burn a hole in her if you keep staring daggers at her. She's just doing her job, Scarlett," Colby said softly, placing his hand on mine, which was holding a knife. I looked at him and released my grip on the knife.

"Sorry." I gave him a sheepish grin. "It's just that little Miss Thang was undressing you with her eyes. Bitch, that's my job!" Colby's eyes widened at that remark and I immediately buried my head into my menu, studying it.

"So, you undress me with those big blue eyes of yours, huh? You wouldn't be the first girl to do that. I don't get it. Why the hell do the women flock to me? Joe's better looking than I am." I laid my menu down on the table and gave a Colby a look that said "really?"

"You do realize that one of the main reasons that girls like Joe is because he looks like his cousin, Dwayne. You know that the Anoa'i family has some damn good-looking people in it. The reason why we think you look good is there's just something about you. You're a little wild, but you seem like you would be a really sweet guy. It's the way you carry yourself that attracts girls to you. Plus, you're not skinny, but you're not bulging with muscles. Most girls like that," I told him. I took a sip of my water and Colby considered this for a moment.

"Okay, but what about Jon? Why do girls think he's good-looking? He's fucking nuts!"

"That's why. Every Harley Quinn needs her Joker, and Jon fits that description to a T. He's just a little wild, and us girls, we need a little crazy sometimes. It's why a lot of the guys like April- she's just a little unbalanced, but she's also pretty cool."

"You weren't thinking that when you dropped that pipebomb on her your first day here." I blew out a gust of air as I remembered doing that.

"You heard about that?"

"Everyone heard about that. The Divas were all talking about it, and then the Divas told the Superstars, and yea. Trinity was hanging out with Jon and Joe the other day and she told Joe about it. Joe told me, and I had to laugh. You really know how to make a splash, don't you?"

"I wasn't trying to, honestly. She got in my face and I had to put her in her place. I don't take bullshit from anyone, and I'm certainly not gonna take it from someone like April. I don't care if she is the Divas' Champion; she better make damn sure I stay down when she comes after me."

"Wow. You Southern girls don't play, do you?"

"Nope. You've worked with Southern girls before, Colby. Ashley (Charlotte) and Dani."

"Oh, I know that. I've just always admired y'all, but I've never met a Southern girl quite like you, though. You're just about perfect, Scarlett. You're gorgeous, tough, smart, funny, sweet, everything." I opened my mouth to respond, but closed it and instead blushed. I was just about to respond when our waiter came up to our table. Surprise, surprise, it was another woman. I mentally slapped myself. _What the hell, Reed?!_ I screamed at myself. _It's just the first date and you're already jealous?!_ I glanced at the waitress, and decided I didn't like her. Something about her screamed "fake," and I'm pretty sure it was her boobs. Did Nikki give her the name of her plastic surgeon or something? Maybe it was her bottle-blonde hair.

"Welcome to Fleming's! My name is Angel. May I take your order?" she asked, completely ignoring me. Angel? Really? Colby picked up on this because he said,

"Why don't we let the lady order first?" He motioned towards me, and Angel turned on her heel. She actually looked surprised to see that another person was sitting at the table, and I had to resist the burning urge to roll my eyes. Colby laid his hand on mine and gave a small shake of his head. I glared at him and turned my attention to Angel.

"I would like the prime rib-eye dry-aged steak with the diablo shrimp, along with a bottle of . . . Colby, what would you like to drink, babe?" Colby glanced down at the menu and responded with:

"How 'bout a bottle of Colby Red, sweetheart?" I rolled my eyes at his drink choice, but giggled anyways.

"A bottle of Colby Red, please," I finished, handing Angel my menu. She wrote my order down on the little notebook she had and took my menu with pursed lips and I wanted to stab her with my fork, but decided against it.

"And what would you like to order, sir?" Angel asked, her mood considerably lighter.

"Let's see. The peppercorn steak, along with the diablo steak, and the bottle of Colby Red," Colby told her. She took the menu, and just before she left, I spoke up.

"Excuse me, Angelica?"

"It's Angel," she replied through a hard smile. I turned on my Southern Belle charm and asked her sweetly,

"Isn't it Fleming's policy to read back the orders just to make sure the waiter didn't mess up?" I batted my eyes for good measure, and if Angel was, well, Angel, she would have melted on the spot. Angel sighed and grit her teeth as she flipped open her notebook.

"You want the dry-aged prime rib-eye steak with the diablo shrimp, and he wants the peppercorn steak, also with the diablo shrimp, and you both want a bottle of Colby Red. Is there anything else you would like?" Angel recited. I was laughing so hard on the inside, and I had to resist the urge to giggle out loud. I glanced at Colby, who was biting his lip and trying not to laugh, as well.

"Nothing else, thank you, sweetie," I said in that saccharine sweet voice that I had perfected back home. I only used that tone of voice whenever I was trying to get rid of someone like Angel. It usually worked, but sometimes the girl would slap me. That's when I went crazy girl on her. Luckily, Angel must like her job because she didn't slap me in public. Good thing, too, because that skank would've been flat on the floor in two seconds flat. Angel turned sharply on her heel and click-clacked away. Once she was out of earshot, Colby and I dissolved into a fit of laughter.

"Oh my God. Scarlett! I can't believe you just did that! Are you like this all the time?" Colby asked, once he managed to calm down. I, however, was still giggling. I shook my head no and reached for my glass of water. I took a drink and swallowed.

"Not all the time, honey. Just when I need to be. It's very effective sometimes, although usually, it ends up with the other girl slapping me and me knocking her on her ass."

"Really now? I can't wait to see that transferred to the ring someday, honey."

"Don't worry, darling. You will soon, I promise. Like I said, I don't take any shit from anyone. By the way, I'm pretty sure Angel and Nikki have the same plastic surgeon." Colby was taking a drink of water when he choked on it.

"Are you alright?" I asked, alarmed. Colby spluttered for a minute or two and then started laughing.

"Jeez, babe. What'd I say?"

"Your last comment. I started to laugh, and the water went down the wrong pipe."

I shook my head and rolled my eyes at my silly date. Angel came back a few minutes later, carrying a bucket of wine in ice. She set it down in front of us and slowly opened the bottle. She poured us both a glass and then left to go get the food. I took a swallow of the wine and licked my lips.

"Good choice of wine, Colby," I told him. He smacked his lips a few times and then nodded his head.

"I was gonna get the Miller Lite, but I figured you'd want wine for the date," he replied.

"Yea, because I can get Miller anytime I want. My mom works at a Miller plant back home, and she sends me some beer that she gets free from work."

"Free alcohol? Really?" Colby asked. I nodded. "Damn. That sounds like a good job. Of course, I like mine hella better, but it sounds like a great job."

"She loves it. It's good pay for her, and she gets to work night shift. Speaking of money, I need to start sending her some of my paycheck from wrestling."

"Has she asked for it?"

"No, but I think it'd be a good idea. You know, as a way to tell her thank you for raising me and putting up with all my bullshit growing up. She used to tell me that I was the reason she had gray hairs because of all the trouble I caused with Willow. We were quite the hellraisers growing up, and we still raise hell when we can," I replied. Colby smiled at me and shook his head. He sighed and remarked,

"I can tell by the way you act. I feel sorry for those girls that you have to wrestle whenever you get on NXT. You're gonna leave them all in the dust." I grinned at him and then looked over to see Angel bringing our food to us.

"Oh, good. I'm starving!" I exclaimed, rubbing my hands together. Colby chuckled and then looked down at his plate.

"Looks delicious," Colby stated, and then he made that face that Emma Stone made in _Easy A_ when she was at the restaurant and the food came. I burst into giggles and Angel just rolled her eyes, put my plate down and walked away.

"You little shit," I told him after she walked away. Colby shrugged and then we dug into our food. I was practically having a foodgasm because it was so goddamn delicious. I love me some steak! The shrimp was actually pretty good, too. I notice Colby hadn't touched the wine since that first glass, and then I remembered he had to drive me home. Oh, well, more wine for me!

"So, what do you wanna know about me?" Colby asked after we ate our mouthwatering steaks and shrimp. We were in the middle of devouring our desserts; Colby got a carrot cake while I got the chocolate lava cake with a Latin latté. Hey, a girl can never have enough chocolate! **_(A/N: the Latin latté from Fleming's is a Patron XO Café, Jameson Irish Whiskey layered velvety milk chocolate with nutty espresso undertones - I'm just going off the description on the website - I've never been, but everything sounds delicious!)_**

I took a bite out of my cake and then responded with:

"Hmm . . . what do you wanna tell me?"

"Well, I was a pretty normal kid growing up. I grew up in Davenport, Iowa, this little sleepy town. Not much to it. I love football. I loved watching wrestling, but I grew out of it for a little while, but then when I was 14, I got back into it and decided that I was gonna be a wrestler. Naturally, my parents were pissed that I didn't wanna go to college, but they accepted it. I haven't really done anything but wrestle. I've been a wrestler for 11 years now, and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. There's not really much else to me. I'm kinda boring," Colby finished shyly.

"Aww. It's okay, Colby," I replied with a smile. Colby grinned back at me, and then he asked,

"So, what about you, Scarlett? What do you wanna tell me?"

"I'm from Leesburg, Georgia. I was alright growing up, but according to my mom, I was a bit of a mess. By a bit of trouble, I mean I was hell to live with. I got in trouble at school a lot, and I almost got kicked out. Of course, Willow was usually helping me, and my mom thought that she was a bad influence on me. That didn't really stop us from hanging out with each other. Once we graduated, I decided I wanted to try something new. Willow encouraged me to be a professional wrestler. I told her she was crazy. She told me I was, too. So, we packed up, moved to Atlanta, where I started this whole roller coaster ride. And now I'm a rookie Diva in a restaurant on a date with Seth Rollins. Yea, I'd say my life is pretty damn awesome at the moment." I finished by giving Colby a megawatt smile and he returned it with one of his own.

"I think it'll get even more awesome soon, Scarlett. I wanna propose a toast." Colby picked up his glass and I did the same. "To new beginnings and crazy roller coaster rides."

"To new beginnings and crazy roller coaster rides," I replied as I touched my glass to his. We finished off our drinks, and then Colby signaled for the check.

Later on, while we were in the car, I noticed that Colby kept glancing over at me.

"What?" I asked him.

"Nothing. Just admiring how beautiful you are," Colby told me. I blushed and I was glad that it was dark, save for the streetlights.

"Thank you, Colby. You're not so bad-looking yourself." I saw him smile and then he laid his hand on mine, lacing his fingers with mine. My hand looked so small in his, and like a normal girly girl, I was kind of hoping he wouldn't notice my calluses that I got from playing guitar.

"You've got calluses on your hands. Don't you tape up your hands before wrestling, Scarlett?" Colby wanted to know. Well, he was close.

"Sometimes I do, but those aren't from wrestling. See?" I used my fingertips to idly trace patterns on the back of his hand.

"Guitar player?"

"Yea. I'm not too good at it, though. My uncle bought me a guitar one year, and I just taught myself to play it. I just mostly play it now when I want to de-stress. Of course, most people usually just go punch stuff, and I do that as well, but the guitar helps." Colby nodded. He replied with:

"That's pretty cool. Maybe you'll have to play me something one day, honey. You really need to tape up your hands, though. You don't wanna mess 'em up."

"Says the guy that wears gloves," I retorted. Colby looked over at me and I gave him an "I'm so innocent" smile. He rolled his eyes and kept driving.

"Hey, mind if I mess with your radio for a bit?" I asked.

"Nah, go ahead. But if it starts playing Justin Bieber, turn it."

"Don't worry, I will. I hate that little prick. He used to be cool, but then he started being a dumbass. I guess that's what happens when you let fame go to your head when you're young."

"It sucks. I've seen that happen, and it's not pretty at all."

I flipped through radio stations until I found a country music station.

"Country music? Really, Scarlett?"

"Honey, if you're gonna roll with me, you better be prepared to listen to a lot of country, especially if we're driving somewhere. It's a great genre to listen to. It's not all songs about how someone broke someone else's heart. There's songs about partying, there are some songs about getting even, there's love songs, obviously, and there's even some songs about getting it on."

Colby raised an eyebrow at that last statement.

"Really? There's songs about having sex?" I nodded.

"Those types of songs are a little more subtle about it. They're not songs that come straight out and say, "I wanna have sex with you." That's why you have to look for those types of songs, because they're subtle. Dirty, but not over the top like, say, Asking Alexandria's "Not the American Average," or Adam Lambert's "For Your Entertainment," or even Rihanna's "Birthday Cake." They have songs like Florida Georgia Line's "Dayum Baby," Luke Bryan's "Shake the Sand," and Thomas Rhett's "Something to Do with My Hands." You just gotta know what you're looking for," I told him. I could see the wheels turning in Colby's mind.

"Uh-huh. I see. Is this one of the songs you're talking about?"

I looked at the radio and smiled.

"No, but it's a good song." I turned it up and sang along as Blake Shelton's "Sure Be Cool if You Did" played.

" _Now you're standing_

 _In the neon_

 _Lookin' like a high I wanna be on_

 _Baby, it's your call_

 _No pressure at all_

 _You don't have to throw back your_

 _Pretty pink lemonade shooter_

 _And lean a little bit closer_

 _You don't have to keep on_

 _Smiling that smile that's driving me wild_

 _And when the night is almost over_

 _Meet me in the middle of a moonlit Chevy_

 _See if we can do a little country song, hanging on_

 _You don't have to keep me falling like this_

 _But it'd sure be cool if you did_ "

I let the window down as I was singing, and I started dancing, my long hair blowing around. After the song was over, I looked over at Colby who was grinning like an idiot.

"What's got you smiling like an idjit over there?" I asked.

"Idjit? Did you just rip off _Supernatural_?"

"Maybe. So, Mr. Lopez, what's going on in that two-toned head of yours?"

"Just you. I've never met anyone like you before, Scarlett. I know you're five years younger than me, but there's just something about you that makes me want to know you better. There's something about you that makes me want you. I've never wanted anyone this bad before, Scarlett. I know you're not perfect; I don't want you to be. You're just . . ." I cut him off by leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. I smiled against his cheek.

"I know. I get it, Colby." I whispered. "I feel the same way about you. I really do. I hope that we can find time for each other during this crazy roller coaster ride we call life in the WWE."

"We will. I promise. And I don't go back on my promises."

I laced my fingers with his, and we stayed like that the rest of the way home.

"We're here," Colby said sadly.

"At least you didn't blow out a lantern after you said that, and you're not creepy about it," I retorted. Colby looked over at me with raised eyebrows.

"Really? You just had to do that, didn't you?" I shrugged in response. Colby shook his head and got out of the car. He walked over to my door and opened it. I stepped out and took his outstretched hand. We walked to the door, where I noticed my friends peeking out the windows.

"My friends, I swear. I love them to death, but jeez," I told Colby. He smiled and looked towards the windows, where they suddenly vanished.

"They're pretty cool, Scarlett. That's how you know you've got good friends- when they're willing to wait up for you after a date."

"I think they only did that 'cause it's you, Colby. If I had started dating any other guy, they probably wouldn't have done that. I think you'll get used to it."

"I probably will – eventually." We stopped in front of the door, and I heard music playing in the living room. I shook my head at the song that was playing; it was "Kissed You Goodnight" by Gloriana.

"What's going on?" Colby asked.

"The song they've got playing in the living room. I think they're trying to tell us something," I replied.

"What is it?" Colby wanted to know. He pushed some hair behind my ear and stared at me.

"I think they want you to kiss me goodnight." Colby rolled his eyes. He leaned in close, and for a second, I thought he was actually going to kiss me goodnight. Instead, he whispered,

"I don't kiss on the first date, sweetheart." I gasped.

"You little shit." Colby grinned, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Alright. I'll see you soon?"

"Sure. Goodnight, honey. Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight, babe. Sweet dreams." I unlocked the door and walked in.

"You can turn the music off, guys. He didn't kiss me!" I called out. No one came to turn it off, though. I walked over to the sound system, but decided to let it play instead.

" _You couldn't see me_

 _Watching from the window_

 _Wondering what went wrong_

 _And praying that you wouldn't go_

 _You should've kissed me_

 _You should've pushed me up against the wall_

 _You should've kissed me_

 _I was right on the edge and ready to fall_ "

I turned back to the window, only to see Colby running back to the house.

" _So I turned off the car_

 _Ran through the yard_

 _Back to your front door_ "

I opened the door to greet him, and I got pulled into his arms and his lips on mine.

" _Before I could knock_

 _You turned the lock_

 _And met me on the front porch_

 _And I kissed you_

 _Goodnight_

 _And now that I've kissed you_

 _It's a good night, good night_

 _Baby, goodnight_ "

He pushed me up against the door as he kissed me, and I took this opportunity to tangle my fingers in his two-toned hair. He wrapped his arms around my waist as his lips played with mine, his tongue gliding over my lips before plunging into my mouth.

" _I turned off the car_

 _Ran through the yard_

 _Back to your front door_

 _Half scared to death_

 _Can't catch my breath_

 _Aren't these the moments we live for?_ "

I moaned softly against his lips, and I heard him do the same. Colby broke the kiss a little while later and he brushed his lips over mine gently before kissing my cheek and then laying his head on my shoulder. He nuzzled my neck and I wrapped my arms around his waist, laying my head on his chest. I heard his heart pounding in his chest, and I wonder if he could feel mine doing the same.

"Okay, I lied. I only kiss on the first date if the date went well," Colby whispered in my ear. I giggled at that and at the fact that his beard was tickling me. "Am I tickling you again?" I nodded against his chest. He responded by rubbing his face against my neck.

"Colby!" I laughed. "Stop! I'm gonna have beard burn there tomorrow, silly goose!" He looked down at me with big brown eyes, and I had to giggle again; he looked like a little puppy.

"Better beard burn than a hickey. Unless you want me to give you one of those instead?" Colby asked in a low voice, leaning into kiss my neck.

"Oh, no, you don't!" I squealed as I tried to push him away. Colby laughed at me before he wrapped me in his strong arms again. He pulled me close and held my face in his hands.

"Alright. I won't give you a hickey – at least, not yet," Colby said with a wink.

"You better not. Alright. I'm gonna go to bed now. I'm sure you've gotta get home so you can do house shows or whatever. Goodnight, Colby. I had fun tonight." I turned to walk into my house before Colby grabbed my hand and spun me around to face him. He kissed me again before letting me go.

"I had fun tonight, too, Scarlett. Goodnight, honey. Sweet dreams." Colby touched my face again before turning to leave. I walked into my house and watched him leave, a huge smile on my face the entire time.

I made my way over to the sound system so I could turn it off, and then started walking to my bedroom, slipping off my heels as I went. I had just made it into my bedroom when I heard the door slam open. I jumped, and then calmed down as soon as I saw my friends pile into my room. I stood there and crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for them.

"I'm guessing y'all wanna know how the date went?" I asked.

"If you don't mind telling us," Willow replied in a professional tone of voice. I rolled my eyes.

"Hang on. Let me get changed, and then I'll tell y'all."

"Okay!" they exclaimed. They ran out of my room and I was sure they were just waiting for me to get changed quickly so they could get the juicy gossip, so I decided to torture them.

I stripped off my date clothes very slowly, put them in a hamper, got a comfy oversized t-shirt, a pair of sweatpants, and made my way to the bathroom where I proceeded to take a long hot shower. I knew it was my second shower of the day, but I didn't care – I just liked messing with my friends. I got out, and methodically made my way through my normal post-shower routine - lotion, deodorant, you know - the usual. I then brushed my teeth, and slipped my comfy clothes on.

"Scarlett, I know you're doing this on purpose!" Brielle called out. I looked into my mirror and gave a wicked little grin to my reflection. Finally, I opened the door to let them in. They ran to my bed and sat down.

"Tell us everything!" they clamored.

"Okay, okay! I'll tell y'all! Jeez!" I exclaimed. I told them all about my wonderful date with Colby, and when I finished, Willow got up to hug me.

"What was that for?" I asked her as I returned her embrace.

"It seems like you've got a good guy this time, Scarlett. Remember, I've got my eye on him, and if he hurts you in any way whatsoever, he'll . . ."

"He'll have to deal with you guys. I know, Willow. I don't think that's gonna happen, not with Colby."

"Are you sure?" Tucker asked.

"Yes, Tuck. I'm absolutely sure. I don't think Colby's gonna hurt me. I won't let him do that. I'll kick his ass if he does," I told them.

"If there's anything left of him," Brielle added. We all laughed at that, and then Tucker said,

"I noticed he kissed you after all." I smiled and bit my lip, still feeling the tingles that ran through them from Colby's kiss.

"Yes. Yes, he did. And I have to say, this kiss was a lot better than all the ones he's given me before. Just something about this one was incredible." I ran my thumb across my slightly swollen lips and grinned.

"That's because it was after a date this time, and not just a random kiss," Brielle pointed out. I had to smile at her because she was in that new relationship phase with Joe (CJ Parker), and it was making her giddy. The same thing went for Willow and Mattias (Tyler Breeze). Poor Tucker – I hope he finds someone soon.

"True. But I like his random kisses, though."

"You know you've got beard burn on your neck, right?" Tucker remarked.

"What?!" I walked over to the mirror and sighed as I inspected my neck. Sure enough, there was beard burn on it.

"Dammit, Colby! I'm gonna smack him when I see him again," I muttered.

"At least it wasn't a hickey," Willow told me. I turned around to look at them.

"That's exactly what he said! Then he threatened to give me a hickey. What the hell were you guys doing – listening with the window open?"

My friends looked all around the room, not meeting my gaze.

"Y'all were! You little shits!" I yelled.

"Sorry! We wanted to know what was going on!" they screamed in response. I shook my head at them.

"Alright, I need to go to sleep. I've got training tomorrow, so get your asses out of my room."

"Fine. Love you, Scarlett!" they called out as they left my room.

"Love y'all, too!" I closed my door and made my way over to my bed. I laid there for a little while, replaying the date in my mind. As I was replaying the date in my mind, I couldn't help but hear Jon's cryptic warning again: **_Don't get involved with Colby . . . It's for your own good . . ._**

I was gonna have to talk to Jon about this, and soon. There was no way in hell I was gonna let some slightly unstable guy ruin a potentially good relationship because of some ambiguous bullshit. I put it out of my mind so I could focus on sleep.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Talk to Me in Riddles, You Cover Me in Rhymes**

 **February 8, 2014:**

I groaned as I heard someone knocking on the door. _It's too damn early for this shit_ , I thought as I tried to block out the insistent knocking. After a few minutes, it seemed as if they weren't going away, so I got out of bed and made way to the door. I looked out the peephole and immediately banged my head on the door. Are you seriously kidding me right now? I sighed as I opened the door.

"Morning, sunshine!"

I glared at the unwelcome intrusion.

"What do you want, Brooks?" I asked him while rubbing my eyes.

"We're supposed to go train today? Remember? Then I'm gonna take you out to dinner," Phil said with his signature smirk. I held up my hand to stop him.

"Whoa. Hold up, Phil. I never agreed to dinner. As a matter of fact, I was just about to give up on you as a trainer 'cause you disappeared last week and didn't bother contacting me, you dick," I snapped at him. In case you hadn't noticed, I am so not a morning person.

"Whoa, easy there, Nala." Phil threw up his hands in surrender.

"Nala? Really?"

"Yea. Now, are you gonna let me in or do I have to drag your tiny ass out here?" Phil asked.

"Really? You're gonna come to my house and give me ultimatums when you don't even bother texting or calling me to let me know you're still alive?" I groaned in exasperation and motioned for him to come in.

"Thanks. I thought I was going to burn up out there," Phil said sarcastically.

"You're not a vampire, this isn't Bon Temps, and for the record, vampires aren't all that hot anymore." Phil rolled his eyes and sauntered into my house. I exhaled sharply as I closed the door behind him.

"I brought coffee and doughnuts for breakfast," Phil stated as he put the bag and coffee cup holders down on my kitchen table.

"You know coffee has caffeine in it, right?" I pointed out as I walked over to the table. I pulled the doughnuts out and picked up a coffee cup. I opened it up to see what looked like a vanilla latté. I took a tentative sip and placed the lid back on it, nodding approvingly.

"So? What about it?"

"Caffeine's a drug, dude. That kinda goes against your whole "straightedge" lifestyle. That includes your precious Pepsi, too." I indicated his famous tattoo.

"So? I can drink decaf if I want to. It's not like the caffeine will kill me," Phil retorted. Smartass.

"Actually, it can. Caffeine in its purest form can kill a person if they take 2 teaspoons. One guy in the UK did it, along with taking a Red Bull, and Bob's your uncle, he was dead within a matter of hours. So yea, caffeine can kill you. You're not supposed to have anything more than 300 milligrams of it, otherwise it will cause adverse reactions. See, I'm not just a pretty face that can kick your ass," I countered, adding a wink and a cheeky grin. Phil shook his head.

"Until that day comes, I'm not giving up caffeine. That includes Pepsi or coffee. Cheers." I held up my cup to Phil's in a toast and we drank them down.

"How'd you manage to get down here without anyone seeing you?" I asked him a few minutes later. I had changed out of my clothes into a set of workout clothes and was now tying my hair up into a ponytail. Phil looked at me and raised his eyebrows.

"You're seriously asking me that question? I do have a car, you know."

"You drove here?"

"Yea. I did. Why is that a big deal?"

"Uh, 'cause Chicago's a long ways away from Orlando. You must've left there yesterday. Does AJ know you're here?"

"Nope. As of last Monday, I am officially incognito. No one can get ahold of me. If they call or text me, I ignore them. I don't tweet, either. That's why I didn't let you know I was coming down here."

"So, what are you gonna do when we get to the Performance Center? They're going to ask questions, questions that I'm sure you're not ready to answer."

"They're gonna ask you questions, too, Scarlett. And when the internet smarks find out that you're hanging around me, can you imagine the rumors that are gonna fly? It will get back to April, one way or the other. So, we'll just have to deal with it. If you don't want to, we can find a dojo here in Orlando and train there."

"There's smarks in dojos, as well. Maybe we shouldn't do this, Phil. Look, you left for a reason and obviously, you don't want anyone asking you why you left until you tell them yourself. Maybe we should just stay here and hang out. I'll go get food and stuff if you get hungry."

This was a bad idea. What if someone saw us together? AJ would kill me if she found out I was hanging out with her boyfriend.

"Holy shit. Fuck!" I exclaimed.

"What? What is it?" Phil wanted to know.

"AJ lives in fucking Tampa. Phil, you need to leave. I am not about to risk my life on some guy. No, but hell no!" I shouted. I tried pushing him away towards the door, but the bastard wouldn't budge.

"Scarlett, calm your tits! Seriously! I know AJ lives down here. I'll probably head that way a little later tonight. Right now, I want to spend some time with you, okay? We don't have to go train or anything like that; we can just chill here if you want to."

I looked up into Phil's hazel eyes and laced my fingers on top of my head.

"Why me?" I asked him. "Out of all the women in the world that would kill for just a bit of attention from you, you pick me. I didn't even want your attention. I don't mind it, but you're with AJ. I don't like being someone's mistress or plaything."

"Hang on a minute, Scarlett. Is that how you feel? Like I'm just using you as a side dish?"

"Well, yea. I mean, I can't help but feel like you're attracted to me. You may say you're not, but . . ."

"I never said I wasn't." Wait, what?

"Huh?"

"I never said I wasn't attracted to you, Scarlett. Obviously, I am, or I wouldn't have kissed you. I do like you and I shouldn't. I really shouldn't like you, but guess what? I do. Until I decide for myself whether or not I don't like you, you're stuck with me, kid."

"Ugh. I'm not a kid, Phil," I pointed out.

"I know this. A kid wouldn't kiss me the way you did." Phil winked at me and I had to roll my eyes at him again.

"So what do you wanna do? It's up to you. Do we go train, or do we just hang out here?" Phil sighed and looked down at the ground. "Maybe we can just hang out here. I'll go change."

I turned to leave but Phil grabbed my hand. He spun me around to face him and I could feel his eyes boring into mine. It was unnerving, yet exciting somehow.

 _Wait. No. What about Colby?_ I mentally asked myself. Oh, yea. I had to tell Phil about my date last weekend.

"I went out with Colby last weekend!" I blurted out.

I knew that wasn't exactly the way I wanted to tell Phil, but he had to know before he did anything stupid, like kiss me again. Phil looked down at our hands. He was stroking mine with his thumb and the look in his eyes was indescribable. He can't be jealous. Not when he was with someone. Could he be that unhappy with AJ that he has to pursue me?

"You did, huh? How was it?"

"It was nice, actually. He made reservations at a restaurant that I love, we had some great food, talked a bit and he took me home."

"That's it? Well, that sounds boring."

"Shut up. I wasn't done yet, dick," I snapped.

"Jeez. Sorry. Continue," Phil replied.

"Anyway, Colby took me home. I thought that he was going to kiss me, but he didn't – at least, not at first. He left, but didn't make it to his car. He ran back into the yard, where I was waiting for him on the front porch. He kissed me, and that was it. That's all," I finished.

"That sounds like a really . . . lame date. That's it? No romantic walk on the beach, nothing?" I stared at Phil in disbelief.

"Really? Really? Really? You know his schedule, Phil. That's probably all he had time for! God, you're such a bastard!" I shoved his chest and all that did was make him chuckle a bit.

"I know. Why do you think so many women love me? After all, they do love the unavailable bad boy type."

I groaned loudly in irritation, which made him burst out into laughter.

"Agh! You are so incorrigible! How can AJ stand you? I would've slapped the shit out of you by now!"

That got him to stop laughing.

"You really wanna know why she can stand me? It's because she's the same exact way. And sometimes I can't fucking take it. Because of her, I lost a good friend of mine. That's why I haven't asked her to move in with me yet. I'm still trying to figure this out. I love April, I do, and I honestly wouldn't know what to do if I lost her. It's just . . . sometimes I need to be away from her. That's why I haven't let her know where I'm at yet. Scarlett, I know that my being here is a bad idea. It is a bad idea because if I'm around you for much longer, then I'm probably gonna do something stupid, but only if you let me. I know you've got this budding relationship with Colby going on and I think he's a great guy, but I can't help but think about what would happen if I had broken up with April and started pursuing you."

"She'd kill me and make my life a living hell, is what she would do," I told him.

"Bullshit. They hate her as much as they hate me. They would use any excuse to get rid of her," Phil responded.

"Actually," I countered, "They wouldn't have started screwing her over if you two hadn't started dating. So, that's really both of y'all's fault."

"Ya know, for someone that's supposed to be a rookie, you sure have a bit of a mouth on you. That's gonna get you in trouble one day," Phil remarked as he took a loose piece of my hair and twirled it around his tattooed finger.

"Oh, 'cause you've never been in trouble because of your mouth," I retorted as I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Hmm, not that I can recall. Now, what do you want to do? We've got a whole day, and well, unfortunately, we might have to go out in public. Let the smarks say what they wanna say – you're my friend, and I don't give a fuck about them. So . . . what do you say?"

"Let's go. Gimme a sec to change." I ran into my room and quickly changed into a pair of pink skinny jeans, a pair of black ankle boots, a cream-colored sweater and a black coat. I took my ponytail down and shook it out, carefully applied some BB cream, mascara and a pop of pale pink lip gloss. I got my keys and my favorite Rayban sunglasses and walked out of my room.

"Beautiful," Phil said when I met him at the front door. I blushed a little bit.

"You think so?"

"Yea. You are really beautiful. Colby's a lucky bastard to have someone like you. Come on, let's go spread some rumors on the internet, shall we?" Phil offered me his arm and I took it.

"So, where to, Miss Scarlett?" Phil asked once we were in the car.

"I don't know. You've been down here more often than I have – you tell me." Phil thought about that for a little while before saying,

"Okay. Uh . . . well, I don't wanna go to Universal or Disney, so I guess we'll just have to explore. Did you bring a bathing suit?"

"Are you fucking kidding me right now? It's 50 fucking degrees outside and you wanna know if I brought a bathing suit?!" I screamed.

"Sorry! Wow, you are certainly a little package of dynamite, aren't you, Nala?"

"Why Nala? That's from _The Lion King_ ," I pointed out.

"I know. That's also your new nickname. You are Nala because you remind me of a little lioness – fierce, yet beautiful. Not even April is like you. She doesn't really have the guts to stand up for herself sometimes. Sure, she's confident and brash on TV, but most of the time, she's just a little geek girl that just happens to be a wrestler. You're different."

"That's a good thing. I don't want to be like AJ or any of those girls. I want to be my own person. I'm not that confident all the time, and I'm not exactly the greatest person to be around sometimes. I still don't know why you and Colby are interested in me, though. Y'all don't even know me that well. I may have some big, dark secret that y'all don't know, and if I tell you, then I'll just have to kill you." I said this with all the seriousness I could muster up.

"Does he know I'm here with you?" Phil asked. Huh? Oh. Colby.

"Nah. Um, we haven't talked since we had our date. He sent me flowers the other day, but nothing since then," I told him.

"Uh-huh. Look, I know his schedule and that he doesn't exactly have time for actual dates and stuff, but it seems to me like he's not making that much of an effort to actually make time for you. They do get days off. It's not that hard for him to fly or drive here to meet up with you somewhere, and I'm sure the schedule will pass through Florida eventually. It's not that hard for someone in the wrestling business to find love or whatever it is Colby is looking for. It happens all the time, and if he doesn't step up, then I'm just gonna have to talk to him."

I considered this for a while. I was a little skeptical that Phil was actually going to talk to Colby about making more of an effort when he was supposed to be laying low after walking out last week. However, it seemed like the type of thing he would do – get in someone's face about something. That does get him in trouble, though.

"I highly doubt that you're going to do anything. You have other stuff to worry about – like how the hell you're gonna pay bills. Eventually, WWE is going to stop sending you checks and you don't seem like the type of guy that would just go back to wrestling in the Indies after you've had a taste of the big time. You also need to figure out what's going on with you and April. Are you going to break up with her, are you going to eventually marry her, what? Those should be your priorities, not finding out if some guy that maybe likes me or not."

"Okay, first of all, I've been really good with my money. I'm good for a little while. As for April, I haven't decided what I want to do yet. I know those are my priorities, but Scarlett, I care about you a lot. I don't wanna see you get hurt. Okay? I think you should talk to Colby some more. Something about this whole situation is off to me. Do you know if he has a girlfriend back home or not?"

I groaned.

"Ugh. You sound about as bad as Jon now. He was giving me cryptic messages about Colby and he wouldn't tell me why. I just got pissed off at him and left. He still won't tell me. It's fucking stupid!" I exclaimed.

"What did he tell you? Which Jon are we talking about? There's a lot of 'em."

"Dean Ambrose. That Jon," I told him. I then proceeded to tell him what Jon had told me last week about Colby. Phil listened the whole time and only opened his mouth once we were sitting in a parking lot.

"I hate to play Devil's advocate . . ." I scoffed at this. Phil glared at me and continued. "You should talk to Jon some more. If he won't tell you, then make Colby tell you what's going on. You deserve that much."

"I don't wanna . . ." I began, unsure of how to finish that sentence.

"You don't wanna what?"

"I don't want to run Colby off. I mean, we just had our first date. Can I just wait and see? Please, Phil?" I begged. Phil turned those gorgeous hazel eyes on me and he sighed.

"Fine. But I swear to the non-existent God, if he hurts you because he's not completely honest with you, then I'm gonna tell you "I told you so" and then I'm gonna kick his ass. Alright?"

"Fine." I agreed. "Now, where are we?" I looked up to see a sign that said "Galleria Movies".

"We are going to go see a movie. I figured this would be the best way for us to hang out without anyone noticing us," Phil told me. I nodded slowly.

"You do know that before we get in the theater, people are gonna see us, right? They're gonna want autographs and they're going to ask you why you left," I remarked.

"I know that. I'll just have to tell them to please respect my privacy and not to tell anyone that I'm . . . what?"

By this time, I was giving him a "wtf?" look and it shut him up.

"You honestly think that they are going to respect your privacy? By tomorrow, pictures of us will end up on the internet."

"Let it. Scarlett, if you're going to be a part of this business, you're going to have to deal with the internet rumors, the photos posted online, the smarks, and pretty much everyone that has something to say to you about your personal life. You don't have a personal life anymore. You belong to the WWE Universe now. You can try to keep as much of your life private, but as soon as you step out your front door, you're theirs. Whether you like it or not, you . . . are . . . theirs. That's one of the reasons I left," Phil explained.

I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes. I should've known this – I wanted to be a Diva so bad, and I knew what I was getting into, but I didn't want to make Phil feel bad for actually having a life outside of WWE. I also didn't want to mess up his relationship with AJ even if I didn't like her.

"Agh! Fuck it. Let's go watch this damn movie. By the way, what are you into? Like, in terms of movies?" I asked him.

"Uh . . . action, comedy, horror. I'll sit through a romance movie or a rom-com with April, but please don't ask me to watch one with you."

"Duh! What do you think this is, a date? No, we'll pick a pick a movie when we get inside. Just, no horror, okay? I don't like those types of movies."

"Why not? Do you watch _The Walking Dead_?"

"Of course I watch _The Walking Dead_! Which reminds me, season premiere tomorrow! Whoo!" I shouted, fist-bumping the air. Phil rolled his eyes and laughed at me.

"Alright, so let's go watch a horror movie. How 'bout _I, Frankenstein_?"

"Nah. Ooh! How 'bout _The Lego Movie_? Please, please, please?" I begged like a little kid. I even batted my eyelashes and pouted for good measure.

Phil rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Seriously? What are you, five?" he asked like the old man he was. I'm kidding – I know he's 13 years older than me, but come on!

"Yep! Yep!" I said in a sing-song voice, bouncing up and down in my seat.

"Fine. Let's go see _The Lego Movie_ ," Phil replied while rolling his eyes.

"Yay!" I exclaimed, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.

"What was that for?" Phil wanted to know after we got out of the car. We were walking towards the theater and I was still a little scared that someone was going to see us and the rumors would start flying.

"Just felt like it. Why do you ask?" I tucked some of my hair behind my ear and Phil shrugged.

"No reason. That's just the first time you've kissed me first. I liked it," was his reply.

"Really now? You liked the fact that I kissed you first? Why?" Phil leaned in close to whisper in my ear,

"'Cause I don't mind kissing you, it's just that I wish you would kiss me first sometimes." I rolled my eyes and stood up on tiptoe to whisper my reply in his ear.

"You have a girlfriend. We shouldn't be kissing each other at all." I winked at him and sauntered over to the ticket counter, while Phil walked over to the arcade the theater held.

"Two for _The Lego Movie_ , please," I told the girl at the ticket counter.

"That'll be $16.54," she replied in a bored tone of voice. I dug out some money and handed it to her and she gave me two tickets.

"Thanks," I said as a common courtesy.

"Uh-huh." I walked away, shaking my head. Why are some people so damn rude? I found Phil playing a video game and I had to shake my head. He was such a nerd.

"Hey, you," I said as I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Hang on. I'm on a roll here." Wow. That was usually my line whenever someone would try to interrupt my playing video games.

"The movie's about to start. You can come back and play it later, okay? Come on." I tried to drag him away from the game, but he was engrossed in the game. So, I used a tactic that my friends love to use on me – I removed him from the controller, causing him to die.

"Fuck you!" Phil crossed his arms, and oh my God, he pouted! He actually pouted like a little kid! If he wants to act like a little kid, I'll treat him like one. So, I crossed my arms and told him in my best mom voice:

"Phillip Jack Brooks, you are coming with me to this movie whether you like it or not. You can come back after the movie is over and play the game some more. Now, don't make me drag your tattooed, straightedge ass into this theater!"

"But, Mom!" Phil moaned. I glowered at him and rolled my eyes.

"Now, mister. The movie starts in five minutes. Now come on."

"Can I have a hug first?" Phil asked in his little kid voice.

"Dork. Fine." I hugged him tight and he tilted my head up so he could look me in the eyes.

"Anyone ever tell you that you have really beautiful blue eyes?"

"A couple times. Now let's go." I turned to leave but Phil turned me back around and all of a sudden, I felt his lip ring brushing against my lips. I gasped as I felt the warm metal and against my better instincts, I kissed him back. I threw my arms around his neck and melted into his kiss. He moaned as he slid his tongue into my mouth and I had to stand up on my tiptoes to take more of him.

After a while, Phil halfheartedly broke off the kiss. Without a word, he took my hand and led me to the movie theater, where we laughed our asses off for almost two hours at _The Lego Movie_. When the movie was over, we hustled out of the theater, narrowly avoiding people that caught glimpses of us holding hands. We made it to Phil's car unscathed.

"What the hell was that for? You know you shouldn't have done that," I told Phil as he drove to a restaurant.

"I know that, and I shouldn't have, but dammit, Scarlett, I couldn't help myself. Are you going to tell Colby?"

"Only if you tell April." Phil turned his head and shot me a look that clearly said he wasn't going to tell her. "I'll take that as a no, then."

"I would if I knew she wasn't gonna freak out on me."

"She will. Hell, she freaked out when you were talking to your ex last year! I mean, really? Is she that insecure that she has to get overly jealous when she sees you with someone? Seriously, how do you even put up with bullshit like that? It makes her seem clingy and needy. Just because she looks like a kid without the ring gear and makeup on, doesn't mean she needs to act like one," I told him.

"I know that. I don't know why she's like that. I'm trying to get her to stop being so damn clingy, but it's like telling a bear to stop hibernating. She's so goddamn stubborn!" Phil exclaimed as he hit the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. I had to snigger a bit because it was funny watching Phil get upset about a girl that he chose to date. He didn't have to date her. I told him as much and his only response was to rub the side of his face, making sure I saw his not-so-subtle middle finger.

"Real mature, dude. Real mature."

"I'm always mature, honey. Here we are!"

I looked up to see that we were at a pizza place.

"You know they're not gonna have pizza like they do in Chicago, right?"

"So? I'm hungry and I want some damn pizza. Let's go," Phil replied.

I shrugged and got out of the car. We were at Little Caesar's Pizza, which was one of my favorite pizzerias – it was cheap, yet delicious as fuck. **_(Author's note: if you've never been to Little Caesar's or you don't have one in your area, you don't know what you're missing! It's so fucking good!)_**

"We can get some pizza and stuff and leave. We can't eat here – too open," Phil said as we made our way to the tiny restaurant. Phil stood outside playing on his phone, his hoodie on his head in an attempt to be incognito, while I went inside to order the pizza. As per usual of Little Caesar's Pizza, it was packed. Luckily, it didn't take too long for me to place our orders. I got a large cheese pizza for myself because I only eat cheese pizza, Phil a large pizza with everything on it, and we both got a set of wings – mine were BBQ and Phil's were Spicy. Of course, I had to get the Crazy Bread for both of us and a Pepsi for him. I came out of the pizzeria carrying all our food with the 2-liters of Pepsi under my arms.

"Little help here, dude?" I pleaded. Phil grabbed the drinks out from under my arms and helped me load the food into his car.

As we were driving back to my house, Phil was scanning through the radio stations by clicking buttons on his steering wheel, but seemed unsatisfied with the music choices.

"And I thought I was bad about changing radio stations," I laughed as Phil futilely scanned through the available radio stations again.

"Like you can find something better?" he retorted.

"Depends on your definition of "better". Here, let me try. You might not like what I pick, though," I warned him as I took up control of the radio dial.

"I don't even know what you like, so I'm warned," was his reply. I scanned through the radio stations until I picked a Top 40 station. Phil must not like Top 40 because he groaned loudly.

"Agh! Really, Scarlett? You're into the mainstream shit?" He pulled a face like a kid that didn't want to eat his vegetables and I stuck my tongue out at him in response.

"Yes! I love it! Now shut up and deal with it. It's either Top 40 or country."

"Fine. I'll deal with it – but as soon as I leave here, I'm turning it to something worthwhile."

"I'm turning it to something worthwhile," I mocked. Phil glared at me, but kept driving.

"Ooh! I love this song!" I exclaimed happily as I turned the radio up.

" _I'm friends with the monster_

 _That's under my bed_

 _Get along with the voices_

 _Inside of my head_

 _You're trying to save me_

 _Stop holding your breath_

 _Yea, you think I'm crazy_

 _You think I'm crazy_ "

Phil glanced over at me as I started singing "Monster" and laughed when I impressed him with my rap skills.

" _I wanted the fame, but not the cover of Newsweek_

 _Oh, well, guess beggars can't be choosy_

 _Wanted to receive attention for my music_

 _Wanted to be left alone in public. Excuse me_

 _For wanting my cake and eat it too, and wanting it both ways_

 _Fame made me a balloon 'cause my ego inflated_

 _When I blew; see, but it was confusing_

 _'Cause all I wanted to do is be the Bruce Lee of loose leaf_

 _Abused ink, used it as a tool when I blew steam (wooh!)_

 _Hit the lottery, oh wee_

 _But with what I gave up to get it was bittersweet_

 _It was like winning a used mink_

 _Ironic 'cause I think I'm getting so huge I need a shrink_

 _I'm beginning to lose sleep: one sheep, two sheep_

 _Going cuckoo and kooky as Kool Keith_

 _But I'm actually weirder than you think_

 _'Cause I'm_

 _I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed_

 _Get along with the voices inside of my head_

 _You're trying to save me, stop holding your breath_

 _And you think I'm crazy, yeah, you think I'm crazy_

 _Well, that's nothing_

 _Well, that's nothing_ "

"Holy . . . shit, Scarlett. You can rap?" Phil asked in amazement once the song was over. I looked over at him and threw him a wink.

"Yep! It took me forever to get the words down, but I got it," I replied with a laugh. Phil shook his head as he pulled into my driveway.

We got the food out and walked into the house, where my friends were sitting at the kitchen table doing their homework. I missed college a little bit, but with my training schedule so hectic right now, I had to make the decision to put college on hold for the moment. I hated it but I knew it was the right thing to do. I didn't know what I was going to do if I didn't make it.

"Hey, guys. What's up?" I asked nonchalantly. They stared at me with wide eyes – well, not me, per se, but the person standing behind me.

"What are you doing here?" Willow asked. Phil didn't say anything for a while, but rather he busied himself with the pizzas and drinks.

"I wanted to come hang out with Scarlett. You guys didn't hear me knocking on the door this morning?"

"We weren't here. We went to Atlanta yesterday and we didn't get back until a few hours ago. Aren't you supposed to be enjoying your 'retirement'?" Brielle asked while putting air quotes around "retirement".

"I am enjoying it, actually. What, I'm not allowed to hang out with friends now?"

"It's not that, Phil. It's the fact that you walked out on everyone without saying anything about it. All anyone has to go on is internet rumors and debates," Tucker told him.

"Did you not explain things to them?" Phil asked me.

"I did explain to them."

"And yet they still don't get it," Phil snapped.

"Hey, no one told you to act like a bitch and walk out on your job!" Willow countered. I couldn't do anything but stand there frozen.

"Really? I acted like a bitch because there are people constantly getting screwed over because the company wants to put the titles or give the same fucking people title shots while people like me and Colby and other guys get left behind? I'm the bitch in this? You know what? Fuck you. You don't get it. You're just like everyone else – you think I'm the bad guy in this. I'm gone. I'll see you around sometime, Scarlett," Phil said angrily. He stalked off, making sure to slam the door behind him.

I ran out after him and stopped him just before he got in his car.

"Hey. They didn't mean it, Phil," I tried to explain. He wasn't having it. He slammed his car door and leaned up against it, crossing his arms.

"They didn't? It seemed like they did, Scarlett."

"Really? You can't possibly be worried about what they say or what anyone says. You don't usually give a fuck what people say about you or anything you do – why start now?" I pointed out. Phil sighed as he realized that I was telling the truth.

"I know that, Scarlett. I was kind of hoping that I wouldn't have to deal with shit like this right now. I want to just let it die down, let the fans do what they want."

"You know that the WWE Universe isn't going to let go of you anytime soon, right? They will still buy your shirts, chant your name, and do whatever they have to do to keep your memory alive in this business. They don't want to let you go yet, Phil. To them, you are their hero. You were the "voice of the voiceless". You told everyone that they could basically tell authority figures to fuck off. You became the poster child for giving the authority the middle finger. They're not going to let you go, Phil. Not now, not ever. Watch. When it comes time for your contract to expire in July, you can bet that people will still chant your name and wear your merchandise," I explained to him. Phil looked down at me, then he took his ballcap off his head and ran his hands through his hair.

"You really think that?" he asked.

"Watch. It'll happen. Maybe once they realize you're gone and you're not coming back, then they'll stop – maybe. Hell, some of your fans are already beginning to turn on you, like my friends. I know you didn't want to wrestle Paul at Wrestlemania and I know you're burnt out – I get that, but they don't. They don't know what a strain it is on us. I already had to withdraw from college to pursue this, and I'm not even sure I'm going to make it!"

Phil gave me a sympathetic look and wrapped me up in his arms. I returned his warm hug and sighed into his chest.

"I'm sorry for getting mad at your friends, Scarlett. I shouldn't have done that," Phil apologized. I looked up at him.

"CM Punk is apologizing? Well, then. Guess retirement is working out for you, after all," I joked.

"Ha ha. Very funny. Let's go eat some pizza – I'm hungry."

Phil let go of me and we made our way back into the house.

"I thought you were leaving?" Willow wanted to know when we came back in.

"Guess I'm not. I'm here to hang out and eat pizza. Is that a problem?" Phil asked, staring daggers at her. Oh, boy. This was going to be _so_ much fun. I have to keep my best friend and my friend – I think so, anyway – from killing each other. That was going to be a problem, seeing as how they were both stubborn and hardheaded.

"Fine. I'm going to my room." With that, Willow slunk off to her room, probably to sulk and binge-watch TV shows on Netflix. Tucker and Brielle followed her in there, but not before getting a slice of pizza.

Phil and I were sitting on the couch, stuffing our faces, when my phone rang. I looked down at the caller ID and saw it was Colby.

"Huh. So, he did call," Phil remarked while working on his wings.

"Shut up. Hey, Colby! What's up?" I asked while wiping the wing sauce off my mouth.

"Hey, babe! Hey, come outside real quick." Colby said.

"Come . . . outside? Why?"

"He's here?" Phil mouthed. I shrugged.

"I guess," I mouthed back. Phil imitated my shrug and went back to devouring his wings.

"'Cause I wanna see you. By the way, did you get a new car or something?"

"No, actually, I have a friend hanging out here with me right now," I told him.

"Oh. Well, still, come outside, though. I haven't seen you in a while," Colby pleaded. I sighed. "Please? You can even bring your friend." I looked over at Phil. There was no way in hell I was gonna bring him outside with my potential boyfriend. I exhaled.

"Alright. I'll be out in just a sec. I'm finishing up some pizza," I told him. I hung up the phone and got up to leave.

"You stay. I am not about to have the Spanish Inquisition on me again," I commanded Phil.

"Don't worry – I won't interrupt you," Phil replied, holding up his pizza in response. I rolled my eyes and headed out the door.

"Hey, darling!" I exclaimed happily as I held out my arms for Colby. He picked me up and spun me around as he hugged me.

"Hey, honey. How are you? I've missed you so much! I'm sorry I haven't had time to talk to you," Colby apologized.

"It's okay. I understand that you're busy," I replied.

I realized that I missed Colby a lot more than I should have. I guess I was just riding the euphoria wave after our first date because after the date, I would not shut up about it. Brielle actually smacked me in the face with a pillow at one point because she was sick of hearing about it.

"No, that wasn't it. I should make more of an effort to be with you."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" I stood up on my tiptoes to kiss Colby on the cheek, and I felt him smile when I did. I looked up into his big brown eyes and grinned at him.

"So, how goes it?" I asked.

"It's going pretty well. How's your training going?"

"Damn good. Sara says I might be ready for NXT house shows soon," I told him with a huge smile.

"I can't wait. I'm sure you're going to do great in this business," Colby replied as he leaned down to kiss me on the cheek.

"Thanks. That means a lot coming from you."

"No problem. So guess what?"

"What?"

"Valentine's Day is coming up soon. Have any plans?" Colby asked jokingly.

"No. I don't. I'm probably just going to go train and then come home and watch _The Notebook_ with my friends. You don't have a house show?"

"Nope. I was thinking I'd swing by that night? Maybe a little late night dinner? I may not be able to do much, but I do want to spend Valentine's Day with you, sweetheart," Colby whispered as he stroked my cheek with his thumb.

"I know. If you can't, though, that's alright with me. It's just a holiday," I whispered back.

Truth be told, I did want to spend the holiday with Colby, but I wasn't sure if we should. I mean, we only went out on one date – no reason to rush out and buy each other gifts and spend an entire day being mushy gushy with each other. Then again, there was Matt. That little smartass had gotten under my skin and I was eager to find out more about him.

"What the hell is he doing here?" I looked behind me and inwardly groaned. Phil came sauntering out of the house without a care in the world. _Dumbass_ , I thought.

"Hey, Colby. What's up?" Phil wanted to know, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

"Nothing much. How's your self-imposed retirement treating you?" Colby replied. Why was he pissed off about Phil leaving? He had been wrestling almost as long as Phil had – he should know about the wear and tear that a wrestler's body goes through.

"Can't complain. Getting in some golf, some video games. You know the deal. I was actually looking into getting a houseboat down here, ya know, since retirees move to Florida anyway," Phil said sarcastically. I facepalmed as I listened to Phil be his usual smartass self.

"Cut the shit, Brooks. You know what I mean. Why are you at Scarlett's house?"

"Colby, calm down, okay? He wanted to come hang out with me. That's not a bad thing, alright?" I said as I tried to soothe the green-eyed monster known as jealousy in Colby.

"So he can drive down here to hang out with you whenever he wants, but he can't get off his ass to come to work?" Colby retorted.

"Really? You should know as well as I do that wrestling for a long time, especially in this business, fucks you up mentally, emotionally, and physically. Okay? So, until you get burned out, don't come bitching at me about me not coming to work. Also, April lives in Tampa. I'm going to see her later tonight, you jealous asshole," Phil countered.

"I never said I was jealous."

"You don't have to. Your actions show it. Look, you're holding onto Scarlett like she's gonna run away from you. Why so jealous, Colby? You've only been on one date – hardly enough reason to get jealous of her being around other men. Hello? The business that you are in is male-dominated. You better be glad that y'all aren't working during the Attitude Era – Vince would've gotten her to sleep with him by now, and then what would you have done? Not a damn thing. And don't tell me that you wouldn't have slept with him, Scarlett – it was either that, or lose your job," Phil said in response to my opening my mouth to speak.

Colby looked down at me and he let me go. I stepped away from him, making sure to stay in the middle. Right now, I was Switzerland. On one hand, it was kind of hot to see Colby getting jealous – it meant that he actually cared about me. But on the other hand, Phil was right. Colby had no reason to be jealous of whoever I was around. I was going to be around a lot of men while I was here, and if Colby got jealous all the time, then I was going to have to stop whatever this was between us. I can't deal with overly jealous guys – it made them look clingy and insecure. I had way too much experience with that at home and I was so done with that type.

"Okay, can we all just take a breath and calm down, please? Both of you are right. Phil, quit being a dick, alright? I know you live for getting a rise out of people, but it's not gonna happen in my front yard. Colby, you need to calm down. While it is extremely sexy that you are getting jealous, save it. We've only been on one date so far, and like Phil said, I'm going to be surrounded by men. Some will flirt with me. I will probably flirt back, but it's all harmless flirting. It's not like I'm going home with any of them," I explained to the guys.

They both sighed and then apologized to me.

"Apology accepted. Would you like to come in, Colby? There's some pizza and wings left, if you want some."

"Ah, no. I need to get home. I can't leave my dogs alone for too long. I have someone watching them right now, so I'm going to head home. It was great seeing you again, Scarlett," Colby told me. I went over to hug him and he did something that was a little unexpected – he kissed me. Right in front of Phil! Colby pulled me close and kissed me with such primal need that I was completely caught off-guard for a moment. I couldn't do anything but stand there with my eyes wide open until I realized I'm supposed to kiss back. So, I did, wrapping my arms around his waist and pulling him close to me.

I could feel Phil's eyes boring into me and maybe he was even rolling his eyes – it would be the type of thing that he would do. After a few minutes – or was it hours? I couldn't be sure – of that passionate kiss, Colby broke it by withdrawing his tongue and giving me soft kisses on the lips. I was at a loss for words.

"See you later, Scarlett," Colby whispered in my ear before walking away. He got in his car and drove away and I turned around to face Phil, who was, as expected, smirking and rolling his eyes. He started a slow clap and this was what he said:

"Wow. Brilliant performance from the two of you. That should definitely win "Best Kiss" at the _MTV Movie Awards_."

"Really? You have to be sarcastic about everything?" I snapped.

"I'm from Chicago, dear. Sarcasm is a way of life up there," was Phil's reply.

"Of course it is." I stalked back in the house with Phil following close behind. I went to my room to change out of my clothes and when I was done, I came back into the living room.

"Wow," Phil said appreciatively. "You look pretty damn good wearing that."

I looked down to see that I was wearing a "Love Bites" t-shirt with a pair of gray "Best in the World" sweatpants. I groaned and turned to leave to go change, but Phil stopped me.

"Hey, where you going? I like what you're wearing. Come on and sit down. Let's finish this pizza."

I sat back down, turned the TV on and we finished off our pizzas, the Crazy Bread, and wings. We were sitting in front of the TV, watching some show on Disney Channel and finishing off the Pepsis when Phil spoke up.

"So what are you going to do for Valentine's Day next week? You actually believe that Colby's going to come down here and spend time with you?"

"Will you shut up? You're about as bad as Jon right now. I already don't know what I want to do about Colby and I, and you're just making it worse by adding more doubt. I should be asking you the same question. What are you gonna do?" I gave Phil a pointed look.

"I don't know. Maybe I'll drive over to Tampa and surprise April or she can come up to Chicago and we'll do something. I'm not really sure yet," Phil replied as he took a swallow of his drink.

"You're not into the whole Valentine's Day thing, are you?"

"Nope. You don't seem like it, either."

"I'm not. After the last few relationships I've had, I'm kind of over the whole Valentine's Day thing," I told him.

"The last one didn't work out so well?"

I sighed and bit my lip.

"Not exactly. I caught him cheating on me and I beat the shit out of both of them. I also messed up their cars. I'm still surprised they didn't press charges against me," I told him.

"Jeez, Scarlett. And here I was thinking that you were a nice, sweet little girl," Phil replied sarcastically. I shot him a dirty look and he grinned.

"I am – most of the time. But if you hurt me or if you piss me off, then I will go crazy white girl on your ass," I stated simply.

"Huh. So that's what you meant by I didn't know you very well."

"You should be alright – it takes a lot to piss me off," I replied.

"I'll keep that in mind. Just so I know what buttons to press with you."

I picked up a pillow that was beside me and smacked Phil in the face with it. He grabbed it and threw it back at me.

"Hey, no fair!" I yelled.

"Too bad! I'm the Best in the World, honey!" was his reply.

"Oh, yea? Watch this!"

I tackled him, sending both of us crashing to the living room floor, where we wrestled around for a good ten minutes.

"Tap out!" I screamed. I currently had Phil locked in a Sharpshooter.

"Never!" Phil rolled over onto his back, turning it on me. He unhooked his legs from mine and then pinned me, putting my arms above my head and pinning my legs down on the floor by putting his legs on either side of mine and holding them there.

"Told ya I was the Best in the World, sweetheart. You've got nowhere to go now," Phil said huskily. We were both breathing hard by this time and I looked around, trying to find a way out of his grip. There was none and I banged my head on the floor. I looked up into his gorgeous hazel eyes and suddenly, I wanted to kiss him. I bit my lip, contemplating whether or not I should when Phil whispered in my ear,

"You look so good underneath me, Scarlett. It's too bad we're not alone because ohh! The things I could do to you."

I gulped as I caught the gist. I knew exactly what he wanted to do to me and I knew I would probably let him if he wasn't dating AJ.

"I would let you do those things to me if you were available," I whispered back.

Phil looked at me and sighed. He kissed my forehead before letting me go. He sat up against the couch while I sat up. I knew that we just had a very charged moment and it was pretty damn hot, but there was no way I could let it go any further. I didn't like AJ, but I respected her enough to not do anything stupid with her boyfriend, no matter how much he wanted to do those stupid things. Yes, I did kiss back whenever he kissed me, but I knew better than to take it any further than what we did – it just spelled out trouble for the both of us and I didn't want that.

"We should stop this, Phil, before it goes too far. If April finds out about any of this, we're both gonna get in trouble and you won't have her anymore – or me, for that matter, because she'll kill me," I told him. Phil took my hands in his and turned my face up to meet his.

"I'm not gonna let her hurt you, Scarlett. Anything that happens between us is my fault, I know that. So if April were to find out, and she's not going to because neither one of us are gonna tell her, then she would have to be mad at me. It's not your fault that I'm attracted to you. Well, it kind of is. You're gorgeous, sweet, stubborn, and pretty badass. I can't help it. I know I love April and I do love her, but I can't help but wonder about you sometimes."

"Me? Why me, though? You have your pick of women. Any one of your fangirls would lucky to have attention from you. So, why me? All I want from you is for you to be my trainer. Sure, I'm attracted to you, but I don't want to mess up you and April," I replied. I leaned back against the couch, looking up at the ceiling.

"I know you don't. I don't want to mess up you and Colby, but it looks like he's doing a good job of that himself before you guys ever get started." I glared at Phil and he shrugged. "It's the truth, Scarlett. You saw how he acted earlier. What if he keeps doing that? What if Colby decides that he doesn't trust you around other men? What are you going to do then?"

"If Colby decides that he doesn't trust me around other men, then that's his problem and I won't have anything to do with him. I'm not about to let any man tell me how to live my life," I stated matter-of-factly.

"I knew there was a reason I like you so much." Phil told me. "That right there – that tenacity of yours, your willingness to be independent. I don't see many women like that anymore – it's like you would like to be in a relationship, but you don't necessarily need one to be happy with yourself."

"You really do have me all figured out, don't you, Punk?" Phil shrugged.

If only he knew. I'm just now learning how to be the independent woman he sees me as. I haven't been in very many relationships, but my last few were messy. The very first relationship I had, I was horrible. I had all these romanticized Disney-esque ideas about how a relationship should be and when I found out that love wasn't like that, I took it pretty bad.

Of course, after that, I decided not to give a fuck anymore. I decided that from then on, the relationships, if any, were going to be on my terms. I wasn't going to let another relationship get screwed up because of something that I did or didn't do. Unfortunately, I would end up making the same mistake in my current fledgling relationship by making out with a guy who, incidentally, was in a relationship himself. Phil and I both knew that if we continued what we were doing, we would end up doing something that both of us would regret later on.

"You don't have me figured out, Phil. You may think you do, but you don't and you never will."

"Really now?" Phil murmured as he leaned over. "Then why can I read you like a book? Face it, Scarlett. I have you figured out."

I looked over at him. He had his hand on his face, his usual smirk plastered on his face and his hazel eyes were boring into my blue ones. I shook my head at him and got up off the floor.

"Where are you going?" Phil asked as he stood up.

"To hell, if I don't change," I shot back.

"Besides that."

"I don't know. I want to keep hanging out with you, but I don't know what we're gonna do."

Phil looked over at my entertainment center, where I had my PlayStation 3 hooked up.

"I can think of something," he replied. I looked over at the entertainment center and rolled my eyes.

"Doesn't matter what we play – I'm still gonna kick your ass," I said confidently.

"Ooh! Got a video game master over here, huh?"

"Well, not really. But I am pretty good at them. So what do you wanna play?"

Phil walked over to the shelf where my games were at and he picked one up. He held it up to me and I facepalmed.

"Really? That game? You just like the cover of it!"

Phil looked at the front of the game. It was _WWE '13_ , in which he was the face of the game.

"So? Is that a problem? We can play _2K14_ if you want to, even though I don't really like the cover of it. Up to you, though."

In the end, we ended up playing both games well into the night. Phil and I traded wins and losses and I even beat him playing as him a few times.

"That's not fair. I can't believe you beat me as me!" Phil exclaimed as I pinned him. This time, his character was The Rock and I had just won the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania.

"So? No one told you to pick another character. You wanna play a Divas' match? I'll be AJ," I said with a wink.

"Really. You're gonna do that? Fine, I'll be Lita. Let's see how that plays out."

"Bring it on," I taunted.

I won the match, of course, making Lita tap out to the Black Widow.

"Fuck you."

I stuck my tongue out at Phil and got up to do a little victory dance. Phil stood up then and stood there, looking at me. He had his arms crossed over his chest and he was watching me do my silly little jig.

"What. You mad, bro?"

"Not at all. It's kinda sexy watching you do that. Too bad I don't dance, though."

"And you think I do? Nah, I'm about as white as white rice when it comes to my dancing. Although, when I was in high school, we had to do the Soulja Boy dance during one part of our marching band show. The crowd went nuts when they saw us do that. We didn't place very high, but we had a great time doing it," I told him. **_(Author's note: Yes, I was a band nerd in high school and yes, we did do the Soulja Boy dance as part of our show – it was awesome)_**

"You were a band geek, too, huh? That's pretty cool. I played saxophone in high school. What'd you play?"

"Flute. Go woodwinds!"

I held up my hand for a high-five and Phil gave me a high-five.

"You know what they say about woodwinds, right?"

"What? The fact that we have dirty minds? That's all band nerds. You can't tell me anything I haven't heard before about woodwinds and their "talents". I've heard it all."

Phil stepped closer to me and looked down at me.

"So you know about the mouth thing?"

"I know about the mouth thing."

"So . . . did you ever . . . ya know, do anything at band camp?" I gave him an incredulous look.

"No. I did not, and for the record, no I did not put my flute there. I'm pretty sure that would hurt. It's metal, after all," I replied.

"Damn. Oh, well. There _are_ other things you can do, though . . ."

"Not with you, I'm not," I cut Phil off.

"I know that. But . . . what happens if we do, though?" he asked.

"All hell will break loose," I stated simply. Phil scratched his eyebrow with his thumb as he thought about what I said.

There was no way that I was going to get in bed with him – there would be too many repercussions because of that. For one thing, AJ would probably kill us both, if Colby didn't kill Phil first. It's bad enough that I'm going to have to deal with internet rumors about Phil and I being friends or more than friends, which will definitely not happen. I don't want the added drama of everything else.

"Okay," Phil finally said after a really long, awkward silence.

"Okay what?" I asked in confusion.

"I won't try to get you in bed with me. I don't want to get in a fight with Colby and I don't want AJ hurting you. I'll keep my distance from you, but it's going to be really hard. I really like you, Scarlett."

"I know that, Phil. I kinda like you too. You're not that bad, but you really need to stop kissing me so much. I just might have to take you up on that offer one day, even though I really don't get into bed with guys that are unavailable. Hang on. I want you to listen to this song real quick."

"Another rap song? Not that I didn't mind you singing the last one – I'm just not a fan of rap music," Phil replied as I walked over to my stereo.

"I'm not, either. Or, at least, I don't listen to much rap music, that is. No, it's a pop song." Phil groaned.

"Goddammit, Scarlett. I don't like pop music, either. It's all generic shit. Don't you listen to anything with substance? Like punk or rock?" I glared at him.

"I do listen to stuff with "substance," as you like to call it." I replied, putting air quotes around "substance." "I can't help it if you don't like it. Now shut up and listen to this."

I turned my iPod on and Carly Rae Jepsen's "I Know You Have a Girlfriend" began playing. Phil laughed as I began dancing and singing along to the bubbly Canadian.

" _Tip-toein' around all the facts_

 _Tease me till I laugh and I relax_

 _I know there's a reason for that_

 _'Cause you've been trying to_

 _Get me alone_

 _And talk to me in riddles_

 _You cover me in rhymes_

 _I know you have a girlfriend_

 _So don't kiss me on the lips_

 _I know you have a girlfriend_

 _Oh don't you tell me what I did_

 _I know you have a girlfriend_

 _And every time you speak_

 _You're lying through your t-t-teeth_

 _I know you have a girlfriend_

 _And I hear she's kinda nice_

 _I know you have a girlfriend_

 _So don't give me those eyes_

 _I know you have a girlfriend_

 _Oh won't you let me be?_

 _I'm beggin' you, stop beggin' me_

 _You're sick with dreams about it_

 _Didn't I, didn't I blush?_

 _I think, I think, I think_

 _I want it way too much_ "

After the song was over, Phil stood there watching me.

"You really feel that way, Scarlett? You think I'm lying to you?" he asked.

I made my way to him so I could look up at him.

"Aren't you in a way? I mean, you're here with me instead of April. You act like you want me, but how do I know it's real? How do I know you're not just pursuing me only because you're unhappy at home or for some other reason?"

Phil bit his lip.

"I'm not lying to you, Scarlett. And I'm not unhappy at home. I've told you before that I don't know why I want you as bad as I do, but I do. The way I feel about you is real. Okay? Believe me, please?"

He reached out to stroke my face and I closed my eyes. I opened them back up to see Phil still staring down at me with those gorgeous hazel eyes of his. I didn't want to admit it to him, but I think he's right when he said that he could figure me out. All of a sudden, I felt something take over me. I didn't know what it was – call it a radical impulse or something, but it took over me like a wave pulling me under.

I laced my fingers with Phil's and kissed his hand.

"What are you doing?" he murmured. I placed my finger on his lip to shush him.

"Just, uh . . . shut up for a minute, okay? Let me do this."

Phil nodded as I stood up on my tiptoes. I couldn't believe I was about to do this. I shouldn't do this, I knew that. So why was I making the first move? Hell, I don't know. He watched me with those eyes of his and I did the same thing, never taking my eyes off of him. I glanced down at his lips and before I could stop myself, I kissed him.

I brushed my lips against his and I ran my fingers through his hair. I looked up at him to gauge his reaction. I liked it. He closed his eyes and pulled me closer as he kissed me back. I let my eyes close as we kissed, both of us wanting control over the other. Phil was winning, though and eventually, I succumbed, letting this feeling wash over me.

This kiss felt different, somehow. I liked Phil's other kisses, but something about this one made me feel tingly all over. I didn't know what it was, but I really, really fucking liked it. I moaned as I felt Phil squeeze my ass and suddenly, I was being picked up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and I heard his groan as I held him tighter.

His kiss made me drunk. I don't think a whole bottle of whiskey could get me as drunk as I felt right now. He broke the kiss only to go down and start kissing my neck.

"No hickeys, okay?" I moaned in his ear. I felt him nod as he continued his delicious assault on my neck. I took this opportunity to start kissing his neck.

"Ohh, Scarlett," Phil groaned against my neck. He walked over to the couch with me still in his arms and laid me down on the couch.

He leaned back to look at me, balancing his weight on his forearms. I watched him, anticipating what was about to happen.

Right now, there was no Colby, no AJ, no one in the world right now except the two of us.

"I have to ask you something, Scarlett," Phil whispered. I had my hands on his chest, tracing the logo on it.

"What is it?"

"Are you sure you want to do this? We just had a conversation about this just a few minutes ago. I told you I wasn't going to try to get you in bed with me, and here you are seducing me."

I rolled my eyes at him.

"If there's one thing I don't know how to do, its seduction. I know that we talked about this, and I don't know why I feel like this, but I do. I know this is wrong, but I just wanna see where this goes. We're not going to tell anyone. Are we?"

Phil shook his head.

"Okay, that answers one question. Here's another one: if we do this, will I be the first? Because if I am, I won't do this. I don't want to take your virginity when I'm not even dating you. I might be an asshole, but I'm not that much of a dick to do that to you. And don't lie to me, either."

"I'm not. I lost it a couple of years ago to a guy that I wish I hadn't lost it to. I have a question for you, though: are you still dating April or are you still on a break from her? Be honest."

"I'm still on a break from her. I suppose that's why I'm here right now instead of with her. One more thing, okay?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"I hope you're on birth control and that you have condoms."

"I do. They're in my room, though."

Phil got off of me and extended his hand out for me. I stood up and he smiled at me.

"Last chance, Scarlett. We can stop this now and I'll go to Tampa and be with April and you can be with Colby with no interference from me. Ball's in your court. What do you want to do?"

My response was to stand up on my tiptoes and kiss him passionately. I didn't know where this thing with Colby was going, Matt wasn't here, and I knew Phil wasn't going to leave to go to AJ right now. I might regret this in the morning, but right now, I wanted to do this. I guess it was loneliness of some sort that was making me break my rules or maybe it was just me being an idiot.

"Lead the way," Phil whispered in my ear. I led him to my room, making sure to be quiet so as not to disturb my friends. I grabbed my iPod off the stereo on the way there – I guess I just want to listen to music while I make a mistake or not.

They had left us alone most of the day, although I did catch Willow glaring at us a couple of times. She was just trying to protect me – she knew that my relationship with Phil was dangerous and she didn't want to see me get hurt, but she knew that I had to make my own choices and learn from my mistakes.

I opened the door to my room and we walked in. Phil went over to my bed while I closed my door and locked it; I didn't want any disturbances tonight.

"You know this is a bad idea, right?"

"What'd you say?" I asked.

"I said, you know this is a bad idea, right, Scarlett? I mean, we've known each other barely a month, we're both in relationships and yet here we are, about to screw each other."

I walked over to Phil so I could stand in front of him. He looked up at me, placing his inked up hands on my hips and running his fingertips back and forth across them. I ran my fingers through his hair and contemplated this again. Should I really be doing this? What if Colby and AJ find out? I thought. What if Phil ends up leaving me alone and never talks to me again?

 _Shut up, Scarlett_ , a voice in my head snapped. _You wanted to do this, so shut up and do it. If Phil screws you over, then so be it. At least after this, you'll know how he feels about you. Plus, you won't have to tell Colby because he can't do anything to Phil._

 _I'm not going to do that,_ I mentally challenged. _Sooner or later, I'm going to have to tell Colby about this._

 _But not now, though. Tonight, you can do whatever you want to. You're not exactly in a relationship with Colby yet and Phil is single for now._

"Hey. Where'd you go?" Phil whispered.

"Just thinking," I told him.

"You decided whether or not you wanna bail yet? You still can if you want to. I'm not going to be mad at you about it."

"I do. I want to. I know we haven't known each other very long, but you can't exactly deny our attraction to each other. You said it yourself – you and AJ are on a break right now, so you're technically single. I'm not exactly in a relationship with Colby yet, so I'm single. There's nothing really in the way of us being together tonight, so why the hell not? If this turns out to be a mistake, then so be it."

"So not bailing, then?" I shook my head. "Good. Come here."

Phil pulled me closer to him, lifting up my shirt so he could kiss my stomach. I looked down at him, weaving my hands through his hair as he kissed his way up, lifting up my shirt as he did. Once he got up to my chest, he pulled the shirt off and I watched as it fell to the floor, along with the rest of my self-control.

I reached down and pulled his shirt off. I knelt down to start kissing his neck and his chest, which featured an impressive dragon. Better the dragon tattoo than all that hair he had back in 2008, I thought to myself, making me smile a little.

"What's making you smile?" he asked.

"Just thinking. Better this tat than the chest hair you had back in the day," I replied with a wink. Phil rolled his eyes and pulled me on top of him, capturing my lips in a steamy kiss.

Damn it, I'm getting addicted to this man's kisses and he isn't even mine. He ran his hand through my hair, capturing it at the base of my neck as he plundered my mouth with his tongue. He sat up, taking me with him. He had this hungry look in his eyes and it was pretty hot. Seriously, how many women get to say that they were in bed with CM Punk, of all people? I gasped at the sensation. I hadn't felt this turned on in quite a while and honestly, I was loving it. It felt wonderful having a man touch and kiss me this way.

"Goddamn, Phil. You're gonna kill me before the night is over with," I groaned.

"Hmm, I'm not really into necrophilia. I want to keep you alive so I can show you why I'm "The Best in the World", honey," was Phil's smartass comment.

 ** _(Author's note: Okay, since I can't actually put a dirty scene in this story due to Wattpad rules, I am going to instead put the lyrics to SoMo's "Ride" in its place - if you haven't heard the song, you need to - SoMo is best - and he sure knows how to get someone in the mood, if you catch my drift ;) So enjoy this and use your imaginations ;))_**

" _Whoah whoah whoah yeah [x3]_

 _Take off those heels, lay on my bed_

 _Whisper dirty secrets while I'm pulling on your hair_

 _Poison in our veins, but we don't even care_

 _Candles dripping on your body, baby this ain't truth or dare_

 _Everybody wonders where we've run off to_

 _My body on your body, baby sticking like some glue_

 _Naughty, let's get naughty, girl it's only one or two_

 _The fever's fucking running, feel the heat between us two!_

 _I'm gon' ride, I'm gon' ride_

 _I'm gon' ride, I'm, I'm gon' ride on you baby_

 _On you lady, all night, all, all night!_

 _I'm gon' take care of your body,_

 _I'll be gentle, don't you scream_

 _It's getting hotter, make it softer,_

 _Feel your chest on top of me._

 _I'm gon' ride, I'm gon' ride_

 _I'm gon' ride, I'm, I'm gon' ride on you baby_

 _On you lady, all night, all night!_

 _I'm gon' make you feel that loving,_

 _Getting weak all in your knees._

 _Kiss your body from the tip-top,_

 _All the way down to your feet!_

 _Oh, oh, oh, and we can go slow, slow,_

 _Yeah we can go slow, oh, oh, oh_

 _Lay on your back, you like it right there_

 _Don't have to say it twice_

 _Love, there's nothing here to fear_

 _Taking it back, back to where it's clear_

 _Rolling on and on, sounds of love are in the air!_

 _I'm gon' ride, I'm gon' ride_

 _I'm gon' ride, I'm, I'm gon' ride on you baby_

 _On you lady, all night, all, all night!_

 _I'm gon' take care of your body,_

 _I'll be gentle, don't you scream_

 _It's getting hotter, make it softer,_

 _Feel your chest on top of me._

 _I'm gon' ride, I'm gon' ride_

 _I'm gon' ride, I'm, I'm gon' ride on you baby_

 _On you lady, all night, all night!_

 _I'm gon' make you feel that loving,_

 _Getting weak all in your knees._

 _Kiss your body from the tip-top,_

 _All the way down to your feet!_

 _Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh_

 _Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh yeah_

 _The sun's coming up, oh_

 _You're on my side, oh_

 _I rub your thigh, oh_

 _You look in my eyes, oh_

 _And I just see the sky (see the sky)_

 _I'm so high but I ain't smoked yet,_

 _I'm just coming down from this!_

 _I'm gon' ride, I'm gon' ride_

 _I'm gon' ride, I'm, I'm gon' ride on you baby_

 _On you lady, all night, all, all night!_

 _I'm gon' take care of your body,_

 _I'll be gentle, don't you scream_

 _It's getting hotter, make it softer,_

 _Feel your chest on top of me._

 _I'm gon' ride, I'm gon' ride_

 _I'm gon' ride, I'm, I'm gon' ride on you baby_

 _On you lady, all night, all night!_

 _I'm gon' make you feel that loving,_

 _Getting weak all in your knees,_

 _Kiss your body from the tip-top,_

 _All the way down to your feet_!"

It was a long night for the both of us. It might have been a mistake, but it was a slow-burning, passionate mistake that I would honestly make again and again if I could. Being tangled up with Phil that night took my mind off of everything and I think it took his mind off things as well. I just wasn't looking forward to the next morning and the wrath of my best friends. Right now, I just wanted to be here with him.

I know it's kind of creepy, but after we were done, I watched him sleep for a little while before drifting off myself. He looked peaceful. His hair was all messy and he had a cute little smile on his face - it was adorable to see, really. He had one arm under my pillow and the other wrapped around my waist, holding me close to him. I fell asleep listening to his heartbeat.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Let it Roll**

 **The next morning:**

 **February 9, 2014:**

I moaned softly as I rolled over the next morning. I felt a warm body next to me and my eyes flew open as I tried to figure out what happened last night. _Oh. That's what happened last night._ Phil Brooks was in my bed. I peeked under the covers. _Ohh. Okay then. Phil was naked and so was I_. I suddenly felt . . . electric as I remembered what happened the night before. I had sex with someone that I wasn't supposed to, and honestly, it felt damn good. I remembered last night with a fond smile. I remembered the way Phil made me feel in his arms and oh! The things he did to me. I squirmed in my bed as the warm feelings came back.

I reached out my hand tentatively to touch him, just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. When my hand made contact with his handsome face, I sighed. It was real. I had had sex with CM Punk and he was certainly "The Best in the World" last night. I know I haven't had much to compare it to, but he was a lot better than the last few guys I've done it with. I stroked his cheek and ran my hand through his hair.

"Mmm," he moaned softly. My hand froze in his hair and when he opened his eyes, I was paralyzed – in a good way, though. Phil gave me a sleepy little smile as he murmured "good morning" to me.

"Morning," I whispered back. Phil stretched out his arm to wrap around my waist and pull me close. I have to say that I liked how this felt. He kissed my head and I smiled. He pulled back to look at me and he sighed as he bit his lip.

"What is it?" I asked. I'm not one to ask how I was in bed the night before, but I really wanted to know Phil's opinion and I don't know why.

"Just thinking about last night. You, my dear, were amazing," Phil said as he leaned in to nuzzle my neck. I giggled as I felt his scratchy beard tickle my neck.

"Really now?"

"Mmmhmm."

"So were you, honey," I murmured. Phil stopped his nuzzling and pulled back to look at me.

"Really? How good was I?"

Oh, no. I knew what he was going to ask and I wasn't going to say it.

"I'm not saying it," I replied. I stuck out my tongue at him and it made him chuckle.

"You certainly knew how to use that tongue last night, darling," Phil said with a wink. I instantly blushed. "But seriously, though. How was I? I know you want to say. Go ahead."

I shook my head.

"I'm not telling you."

"Well, guess I just have to make you say it, then, won't I?"

Phil started tickling me and I squirmed, trying to get out of his grip while laughing.

"No! Stop!" I laughed breathlessly as I tried to fight him off.

"Say it! I know you want to, Scarlett!"

"Fine! You were the "Best in the World"! Now get off me – I have to go use the bathroom." Phil tickled me again and I swatted his hands away as I reluctantly untangled myself from him and the sheets.

"Nice ass," Phil remarked when I managed to get out of the bed. I turned my head to give him a look and he grinned. I rolled my eyes and shook my ass a little as I made my way to the bathroom.

Once in there, I used the bathroom and took a quick shower to wash off the evidence of last night's lovemaking. When I got out of the bathroom, I looked at myself in the full-length mirror I had. I didn't look any different, except for the hickeys I had on my body.

Wait, what?! I told him not to leave hickeys on me! I stepped a little closer to the mirror to inspect myself a little closer. Phil didn't leave any love bites (heh heh – love bites – pun intended) on my neck where everyone – particularly Colby and AJ – could see, but he left some on my stomach, hips and thighs. I turned around and my eyes bugged out. He left hickeys on my ass, too?! Holy shit. I stormed out of the bathroom to see Phil lounging on my bed, relaxing and going through his phone.

He looked up at me with his signature grin, but it fell when he saw the look on my face.

"You left hickeys . . . on my ass!" I yelled at him.

"To be fair, you left some on me, too," Phil countered. He pulled the sheet down to reveal some hickeys of his own. I knew better than to leave any on his neck, so I apparently left them all over his torso and his thighs. Jeez, I didn't know I liked biting that much.

"I did that?" I asked while pointing to his body. You really couldn't see some of the hickeys unless you looked up close, but the ones on his stomach around his "Straightedge" tattoo were highly visible. Phil nodded. "I didn't leave any on your ass, did I?"

"Trust me, I would've remembered if I felt teeth marks on my ass. Come here, Scarlett."

I walked over to him, climbing into bed. Phil pulled me close to him and I laid my head on his shoulder.

"What's that song playing?" I looked up at him and then over to my iPod. Huh. I forgot it was on. I'm just glad I had a speaker system that also charges. I turned up the volume to hear the sweet voice of Secondhand Serenade's "Let It Roll".

" _And now it's over, we're goners_

 _It's out of our control_

 _And if there's one thing that I know_

 _It's that it's best to let it roll_

 _So let's just let it roll_

 _Let's just let it roll_

 _Your hazel eyes paralyze my senses_

 _Cut me down to size defenseless_

 _I am defenseless_

 _And I know it's late but I am waiting_

 _For the moment that I've been anticipating_

 _And I signal you to go_

 _Where it will take us, I don't know_

 _And now it's over, we're goners_

 _It's out of our control_

 _And if there's one thing that I know_

 _It's that it's best to let it roll_

 _So let's just let it roll_

 _Let's just let it roll_ "

"That's not a bad song, actually. I like it. The lyrics make sense – it's out of our control and we just need to let it roll now," Phil told me when the song was over.

"Guess we have to now. We're still going with the whole "not telling anyone" thing, right?"

"Definitely going with that. Come on, let's get up. I'm hungry."

"Hang on a minute."

"What?"

I leaned in to kiss him. Phil slid his hands down my back and squeezed my ass.

"Mmm," I moaned. Phil broke the kiss before getting out of the bed. I pouted a bit and when Phil saw the expression on my face, he grinned.

"What's with that look on your face?"

"I kind of don't want you to leave."

"Why not?"

"Because if you leave, then I won't know if this was real or not." Phil crawled back into my bed and hovered over me.

"This was real to me, Scarlett. For once, I didn't have to worry about anything but us. You were all that mattered to me last night. Okay? Don't ever doubt that this wasn't real." Phil leaned in for another kiss and I returned it eagerly.

After a while, I broke the kiss and we got out of bed. I grabbed Phil's shirt, causing him to exclaim and laugh.

"You know what?" Phil asked as he pulled me close.

"What?"

"You look pretty damn good in my shirt, you know that?"

"Thanks," I replied with a smirk. I kissed him and went back to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

"Ready to go?" Phil was wearing just his boxers and I had to suppress a moan.

"Not particularly." What I really wanted to do was take those boxers off of him again.

I walked to my bedroom door and hesitated before opening it. Phil and I walked out to the kitchen. I looked around to make sure no one was up yet and breathed a sigh of relief when no one showed up.

When we got to the kitchen, Phil busied himself with the coffeemaker while I started cooking breakfast.

"What do you want for breakfast, Phil?"

"Depends. What are you making?" Phil replied as he measured coffee into the filter.

"Eggs and grits."

"Grits? What the hell is that?"

I rolled my eyes at him.

"I forgot. You're a Yankee. Grits are a Southern delicacy. Try them! They're good," I said with a smile.

"Fine. If they don't taste good . . ."

"That's more for me!"

"What exactly are grits, though?"

"Corn. Ground up corn," I told him as I took out some bags of instant grits to mix up in a bowl. **_(Author's note: hey, grits are good! They taste better mixed up with scrambled eggs and ketchup!)_**

"That's . . . it?" Phil asked incredulously as he finished making the coffee. He poured some in a mug and added some fixings to it.

"Yep. That's it. It's not so bad once you taste it," I told him as I popped the bowl of grits in the microwave. I went to scramble some eggs in the pan when I looked up. My jaw dropped.

"Morning, kids! How are y'all today?" Phil asked in a sunny yet sarcastic voice.

"You . . . stayed?"

Willow was the first to open her mouth and why shouldn't she? Naturally, she was pissed off. I couldn't do anything but stand there with a sheepish grin on my face.

"I stayed," was Phil's reply. _Oh, hell._ Tucker and Brielle had just walked in and their expressions were of pure shock and disbelief.

"I thought he left last night," Tucker managed to get out of his mouth.

"No. He didn't leave last night. Instead, he went and fucked Scarlett!" Willow snapped. My face turned red. She was right, but did she have to say it like that?

"Willow, can I talk to you for a minute? Outside, please?" I asked, jerking my thumb towards the back door.

"Fine." Willow stalked towards the back door and wrenched it open. I meekly followed her out the door, scared of the wrath of my best friend.

"Have fun, girls!" Phil called out after us.

I groaned loudly before turning to shoot him a death glare. Phil winked at us and Willow slammed the door behind us. I sat down on the porch swing to settle in for Hurricane Willow.

"What the hell were you thinking?! Having sex with Phil, of all people?"

"I wasn't planning on having sex with Phil, Willow. Okay? It just . . ."

"Just what?" Willow snapped. "It just happened? Bullshit, Scarlett! You told me that you wouldn't do anything else with him because you didn't want AJ and Colby finding out. Yet here you are, in his shirt, with hickeys all over you! Did he force you to do this?!"

I snapped my head up to glare at her defiantly.

"No." I replied emphatically. "He didn't force me to do anything I didn't want to. As a matter of fact . . ."

"What?" Willow snapped. I opened my mouth to say something, but Willow's shocked expression said it all.

"You have **_got_** to be fucking kidding me! You?! You got Phil in bed with you?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

Before I could say anything, I felt Willow's hand smack my face. I gasped as I felt the sting on my face. What the hell?! I stood up to get in her face and was about to slap her when Brielle and Tucker ran outside to stop the brewing confrontation. Phil walked out there, but he didn't do or say anything for a while.

"Willow, why the hell did you just do that?" Tucker demanded. Willow stood there looking like she was about to cry.

"That's what I want to know. Why did you do that?" I asked her while holding my face. Brielle went inside and then came back out, giving me a frozen bag of peas.

"I got slapped, not punched, Brielle. I don't need that," I told her gently.

"I don't care. Hold this," Brielle said as she thrust the bag back towards me. I took the bag and held it against my face.

I glanced up at Phil, who looked at me with sad eyes. I was right when I told him all hell would break loose if anyone found out. I probably should have made him leave this morning instead of wanting him to stay with me.

"I'm – I'm sorry, Scarlett. I shouldn't – shouldn't have done that," Willow sobbed. I put the bag down on the table next to me and walked over to my best friend, who was obviously in distress. Sure, we've gotten in some fights before, but I don't know what prompted her to slap me. That actually hurt like hell.

"If you wanna hit me, go ahead," Willow murmured to her feet.

"I'm not gonna hit you, Willow. I know you were just in shock over what happened. Just remember one thing though . . ."

"What?"

"Next time you hit me, be prepared to be on the ground. Got it?" I snapped.

"I got it. Sorry for smacking you like that. Are you okay?" she asked concernedly.

"I'm fine, Willow. Phil?"

"Yea?"

"I think it's time for you to go. You don't need to be here. Go to Tampa and hang out with April, alright? Please?"

Phil looked at Willow before turning his attention back to me. He sighed and scratched his head.

"Alright. I'll go get dressed. You probably should too because I need my shirt back."

I glanced down at the shirt I was wearing and nodded.

"Right. Um, I know I told you to leave but I don't suppose you want to stay for breakfast?"

"Nah. I should go."

Phil turned to leave but Willow stopped him.

"Hey, Phil?"

"What is it, Willow?" he asked.

"I'm . . . I'm sorry for snapping at you like that. I also feel bad for hitting Scarlett like that. I shouldn't have done that to either of you. It was wrong of me."

Phil waved his hand in dismissal as he replied,

"It's fine, Willow. You were just sticking up for your friend, that's all."

He made his way into my bedroom while I leaned back in the porch swing.

"You probably should go give Phil his shirt back," Tucker pointed out.

"I know. I'll go in there and give him his shirt back." I got up, stretched and walked to my room. I knocked on the door.

"You decent?" I called out. Phil opened the door, still in nothing but his boxers.

"Really? You're asking if I have clothes on, especially after last night?"

I rolled my eyes and pushed my way into the room. I went over to my dresser to get some clothes for the day when I felt Phil's arms wrap around my waist.

"Phil." I whispered. "What are you doing?"

"I just want to hold you, that's all."

I turned around to face him and he rubbed his hands up and down my arms.

"Phil. . ." I started, but he shushed me by placing one of his fingers on my lips.

"I know what you're gonna say, Scarlett. I've heard you say it before. It wasn't a mistake. I know I'm with AJ, but like I've said before, I can't deny this attraction I have for you. Will it go away now that we've had sex? Not likely. I just wish I knew how to not make you feel so guilty."

I laid my head on Phil's shoulder and he held me.

"I don't feel guilty," I murmured.

"What?"

"I said I don't feel guilty," I said as I lifted my head up.

"You could've fooled me."

"Alright, I do feel a little guilty, but it's only because I feel like I made you do this. Like I'm the one that brought up the whole sex thing in the first place."

"You feel guilty because you feel like you made me do this?" Phil asked in confusion.

"Really? You're going to state the obvious?" I retorted. I stepped out of Phil's arms and got some clothes out of my dresser. I walked into the bathroom to change and when I came out, Phil was laying on my bed, playing with his phone. I threw his shirt at him to get his attention.

"Hey! You didn't have to do that," Phil said as he pulled the shirt on. He picked up the collar and sniffed it a bit.

"I don't smell bad," I told him.

"I know that," was his reply. "You smell really good, actually. Might need to wash it when I get to April's though. Wouldn't want her to think I was cheating on her."

"Too late. Ready to go?"

"No. Not at all. I don't want to leave you. Come here."

I didn't move from my spot.

"Don't make me come over there, Miss Scarlett," Phil warned. I stood still, crossing my arms as I smirked. Phil swung his legs off the bed and stood up.

"I'm not going to tell you again. Get your sweet ass over here," Phil commanded with a smirk on his face.

"Sorry. I think I kinda like it over here," I replied in a sing-song voice. Phil took a step closer to me and I took one step back.

"Ohh! It's like that, huh?"

"Maybe. What are you gonna do about it?"

Phil lunged at me and I easily avoided him. That is, until I turned around and he picked me up in his arms. I squealed as he spun me around. We couldn't help but laugh.

"Phil! Put me down, ya butt!" I exclaimed between giggles.

"Oh, you want me to put you down?" Phil asked.

"Yes!"

"Alright then." Phil laid me on the bed, albeit none too gently. I turned over on my back and threw a pillow at him.

"You're an ass, you know that?"

"Oh, I know that. Bet you didn't know this, though."

"Know what?" Before Phil could respond, he turned me over on my stomach and smacked my ass a couple of times.

"What the hell was that for?!" I shouted when I got away from him.

"I felt like it. You gotta problem with it?"

"Not at all." With that, I leaned forward and kissed him.

"Mmm. I'm gonna miss those when I go back home."

I looked at him and bit my lip.

"I'm going to miss you, too, Phil. I don't suppose I could ask if you're coming down here again anytime soon?"

"I have no idea, Scarlett. I mean, I'll try, but. . ."

"You don't have to promise me anything, Phil." I told hm. "I don't want you to go out of your way to make time for me. Besides, I still have Colby and I have to figure out where that's going, if anywhere."

"I know. I'll leave you alone. If I come down here again, we can hang out if you want to."

"Are we gonna end up in bed again?"

"That, my dear, is up to you," Phil said with a wink.

I rolled my eyes and got off the bed.

"Come on. Time for you to go."

Phil sighed and stood up. We walked to the door and just before I opened it, he planted a kiss on my cheek.

"I'm gonna miss you, Scarlett. I, um. . ."

"Don't say it. We both know you don't mean it."

"Okay. I won't. At least, not right now."

"You still won't mean it."

I opened the door and we walked out together. When we got to the front door, Phil took me in his arms and held me tight.

"See you around sometime. Hopefully."

"Yea, maybe I will," I told him. I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him on the lips softly. Phil returned it and then he walked out the door. I watched him leave and sighed.

"Hey. You alright?" Brielle asked when I got to the kitchen.

"Um, I think so." She walked over to me and gave me a hug. I returned it and then I felt two more pairs of arms wrap around me.

"You know we love you, right?" Tucker asked.

"I know that, Tucker. I really do."

"Even if you make mistakes, we'll be behind you 100%. Alright?" Willow said.

"I know, Willow. And you'll make sure I don't make any more mistakes."

"Or just make sure you learn from your mistakes," was Willow's reply.

"Ah, whatever. Come on, guys. We have a long day ahead of us."

"It's Sunday," Brielle said.

"I know. It's also the premiere of _The Walking Dead_ tonight, too. The marathon is on now!"

"That's right. It is! I'll get the snacks!" Tucker exclaimed.

"I'll go turn on the TV," Willow added.

"And I'll get some drinks for us. Scarlett, you can go sit down," Brielle told me.

"Sure. Come on. I'm so ready to see the rest of Season Four!"

We spent the rest of the day watching The Walking Dead and stuffing our faces. While in the middle of the episode, I got a text from Phil.

 ** _Hey. I'm in Tampa now. Watching The Walking Dead with April. I miss you already._**

 ** _I miss you, too._**

 ** _You really should think about coming to Chicago one day._**

 ** _Nah. I have too much going for me down here right now._**

 ** _Understandable. Alright, I'll let you get back to the show._**

 ** _Same for you._**

I put my phone back in my pocket and focused on the new episode, which was, as expected, full of feels, blood, guts, and plenty of zombie killing. Oh, and Daryl Dixon too!


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: You Got It (The Right Stuff)**

 **Valentine's Day 2014:**

 ** _(Author's note: I know this took forever to write, but once I started, I couldn't stop – Microsoft Word clocked this chapter in at 47 pages, so I hope you guys enjoy this extra-long chapter. I know there are some things I haven't mentioned before in this book, but they will be further explained as the book goes on. Oh, and even though this is a Valentine's Day chapter, be warned – it's not all hearts and cute little Cupid babies. Enjoy! Again, everything will be explained further as the book progresses.)_**

"Go away. Y'all are annoying me," Tucker snapped as he waved us off.

"Aww, come on, Tuck! Don't be like that," Brielle said as she kissed his cheek.

"I wouldn't have to if I had something to do tonight. Y'all have dates for Valentine's Day. I don't. And it sucks," Tucker replied.

"I'm sorry, Tucker. If it makes you feel any better, I don't have anything to do for Valentine's Day, either," I replied.

"Colby's not coming?"

"Nope. So we can go get some food and watch Smackdown tonight, since we'll be all alone tonight. Whaddaya say?"

"I think that sounds awesome. But now, we need to get these girls ready for their dates tonight!"

"So, Willow and Brielle, where are the boys taking you tonight?" I asked.

"Mattias and Joe are taking us to a restaurant and I think a movie. Did Joe say anything else about tonight?" Willow wanted to know.

"Uh, nope. I don't think so," Brielle replied.

"Hmm. I'll get it out of them. I'm gonna go ahead and head to the Performance Center, guys. See y'all later!" I called out as I grabbed my bag off the couch and left.

As I was driving down the road, I thought about today. Colby had called this morning and told me Happy Valentine's Day, but that he wouldn't be able to make it tonight. I honestly wasn't expecting anything tonight because Valentine's Day for me wasn't always the greatest experience. The last time I celebrated Valentine's Day ended up with me in the hospital.

 **(Author's note: Flashbacks will be in italics)**

 _"Stop it! You're hurting me!" I screamed._

 _"I'm hurting you?! What about you, Scarlett? You hurt me! I told you I didn't want to have kids and what do you do? You get yourself pregnant!" he shouted as he pushed me up against the wall._

 _"Do you really think I did this by myself, Kai? You helped! Remember? You told me you didn't like wearing condoms," I told him between gasps of pain._

 _"You still could have used birth control." Kai let me go and I fell to the floor. I immediately laid my hand on my stomach, making sure my baby was okay._

 _Kai knelt down in front of me and yanked my hair back so I was forced to look him in the eyes. Those cold gray eyes stared at me with so much anger and hate and I couldn't understand why. He loved me and I loved him. We had met in wrestling school last year and I thought everything was perfect, until Kai found out I was pregnant. Then he changed, though I probably should have seen it coming. He wasn't always the most romantic or the best man to be around, but I wanted to believe that there was a good man underneath that tough exterior._

 _"Why would you want to throw this away, Scarlett? We could have had everything. We are so close to getting a wrestling deal. How are you supposed to wrestle if you're stuck at home taking care of a baby? How am I supposed to provide for that baby? What if we don't get signed? Then what?"_

 _"We'll figure out something, Kai. We always do," I told him, trying to make him see that this baby was a good thing. She was only four months along and I couldn't wait to see her. I was going to name her Cadence Arabella Knighton. She was going to have her dad's last name._

 _"No. We won't," Kai told me in a calm, even voice. "You'll figure out something because I'm not dealing with this. I have a career to focus on. You want this baby, you go right ahead and have it. But just know this. I won't be around."_

 _With that, he shoved me up against the wall and punched me in the stomach again. I screamed in pain as I hit the wall and felt my body cramping._

 _"No. Please, no. Kai!" I screamed._

 _"What, Scarlett? You made this mess, you deal with it yourself. I'm done," Kai said. He left the apartment and I sobbed as I felt my heart breaking. I slowly made my way into a sitting position, panting as I felt a new wave of cramps crashing through my body._

 _"Ow. Oh, God, please don't let me lose this baby. Please," I begged as I tried to stand up. I gasped and bit my lip as tears stung my eyes and more cramps came. I found my phone and unlocked it, crying steadily now._

 _"Come on. Pick up, pick up, pick up!" I moaned as the phone rang out._

 _"Hello?"_

 _"Willow! Oh God, please come to the apartment, Willow. I think I'm losing the baby," I sobbed._

 _"What?! What – how?! Don't answer that. We'll be over in just a second. Where's Kai? Why isn't he helping you?"_

 _"Kai . . . Kai is the reason I'm hurting right now. Please, Willow. Help . . . me."_

 _"Stay on the line, sweetie. We'll be there in just a sec."_

 _"O . . . okay."_

 _I focused on Willow's voice and trying to stay calm as I waited for her to come get me._

 _"It's okay, baby. You're gonna be alright. Please let her be alright," I pleaded._

 _"The baby will be okay," Willow told me reassuringly._

 _"God I hope so."_

 _I screamed as more cramps came; these were worse. They felt like contractions now and I knew baby Cadence didn't have too much longer in this world._

 _"Scarlett! What's happening?!" Willow shouted._

 _"I think. . . I think I'm having contractions! Hurry!"_

 _"We're almost there! Hang on!"_

 _A few minutes later, I heard a car door slam and then the door flew open. Of course Kai wouldn't think to leave it unlocked when he stormed out of here._

 _"Willow. You brought Tucker and Brielle, too?"_

 _"Duh! You think I can carry you out of here by myself? Brielle, get that blanket and wrap it around Scarlett's waist. Tucker, help me pick her up." Brielle wrapped a blanket around me and then I felt Tucker's arms wrap around me gingerly._

 _"I've got you, girl. Come on, Willow," Tucker said._

 _I saw Brielle run out to the car and I was so glad that the apartment was on the bottom floor – I don't think I could take much more pain. Tucker and Willow helped me out to the car, where Brielle proceeded to drive like a bat out of hell. I was pretty sure she had broken some speed laws, but consequences be damned. I needed to make sure my baby was okay._

 _We got to the hospital in what seemed like a record time. Tucker and Willow helped me out of the car, but I was screaming in pain now. I could feel her leaving me and I started sobbing openly. I laid my hands on my stomach in some vain attempt to keep her here, keep her with me. Her father might be an asshole, but she was part of him. I started wondering what she was going to look like. Would she have Kai's eyes? Would she have his dimples? Would she have the curly hair I had as a child?_

 _"Scarlett? Hey, you have to calm down so the doctor can check you out," Brielle said as she tried to comfort me._

 _"Fuck you! I need to know if my baby is okay!" I screamed._

 _"Ma'am, you have to let us check you out. Please calm down," a nurse said._

 _"I don't care what you do to me! Just please save my baby!" I cried._

 _"We are doing everything we can."_

 _"You're not doing it fast enough!"_

 _And that was the last thing I remember._

"Oh my God," I panted. I gasped for air as I came out of my nightmare. Except it wasn't a nightmare – it was real. All too real. I looked up to see where I was at and I somehow made it to the Performance Center without getting into an accident. I should have been on the side of the road or wrapped around something. I couldn't believe I got so distracted by what happened. I sat in my truck, panting as I tried to calm down.

 _Valentine's Day is the worst_ , I thought. I leaned back in my seat, taking deep yoga breaths and closed my eyes. I wiped my tears off my face. Huh. I wasn't even aware that I was crying.

"Okay. You're okay now, Scarlett. It's okay," I told myself. I lifted up my shirt and saw the little tattoo I had gotten a few years ago. It was a heart made of little birds and between them, it read "Cadence". I still missed my little girl and I haven't told anyone about it. Phil asked last week, but I couldn't tell him. He wasn't close enough to me to know about my tattoo. Colby doesn't even know.

I remember that after I had had my miscarriage, Tucker had sent me this video on YouTube to listen to. He said while it may not help ease the pain, at least I would have someone who knew what it felt like to lose a baby before they were even born. I still listen to the song sometimes when I think about her, and I decided to turn the song on now.

" _'Cause you are my one and only._

 _You can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight._

 _You are my one and only._

 _You can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight._

 _And you'll be alright._

 _'Cause you were just a small bump unborn for four months_

 _Then torn from life._

 _Maybe you were needed up there but we're still unaware as why_."

Unlike Ed, I knew why my baby wasn't here anymore. It was because of her father, Kai. I haven't heard from him in years. He left Atlanta to go train at another wrestling school, and last I heard, he was still in training somewhere. I had also heard that he had a new girlfriend who thought he was the bee's knees. Oh, she didn't know how wrong she was about Kai. I sighed and got out of my truck to head into the Performance Center, where I focused all of pain, my anger at Kai and my loss of Cadence on the Divas, as well as some unsuspecting punching bags.

I was relaxing at the Superstar Lounge when I saw Matt sit down next to me. Oh, man. I had almost forgotten about him. Can I actually try to pursue this guy? I mean, I know as much about him as I do about Colby, and that's not a whole hell of a lot.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey, doll. How are you?" Matt asked as he hugged me. _How am I? Pretty crappy_ , I wanted to say.

"Feeling pretty great! How about you?"

"I'm alright. Just wish I had a match at ArRival, though."

"Oh, yea, that's coming up in a few weeks! I can't wait for it. It's gonna be great. I've actually been watching some old episodes of NXT to get a better feel for everything. Why don't you have a match?"

"I have no idea. I think they're getting ready to get rid of me," Matt confessed. I looked at him in confusion.

"Why would they be getting ready to get rid of you?" I wanted to know.

"I've had one too many concussions. Anymore, and I could probably be a vegetable. It sucks. I've tried to stay healthy, but I have no idea where my career is going."

"Aww, Matt. I'm sorry," I said as I hugged him. He hugged me back and I still felt those little butterflies in my stomach.

"Thank you. So, hey, today's Valentine's Day. Got any plans?"

"Um, I'm just gonna watch Smackdown with Tucker tonight. Brielle and Willow have dates tonight. Speaking of their dates, where are Mattias and Joe?"

"Over there."

"Thanks. Oh, what about you? Got any plans?"

"Um, I'm going to take my girlfriend out for dinner. She kind of deserves it, especially since this baby is due in a couple of months."

And there goes those butterflies. Of course Matt would have a girlfriend. Or rather, a baby mama. Well, at least I don't have to get involved with him and I can now focus on Colby.

"You have a girlfriend?" I asked.

"Yea. She's pretty awesome," Matt said with a smile.

"Aww, that's great! So when is the baby due?" Why am I asking him about a baby when I don't have one anymore? Oh, because I'm a glutton for punishment, that's why.

"July, I think. But you know how babies are – they come out when they want to."

I looked away from him then and took some deep breaths.

"Did . . . did I say something wrong?"

"Um, kinda. When you said babies come out when they want to, it kind of, um . . . brought some memories up for me that I didn't want to think about."

"Oh. Damn. I didn't know. I'm sorry," Matt apologized.

"It's, uh. . . I wanna say it's okay, but it's still a sore spot for me."

"Oh. Did you have a baby sibling die?"

"More like my baby. I had a miscarriage three years ago. On Valentine's Day, no less. So that's why I kind of, um, freaked out a little. I shouldn't have told you that. I need to go." I hastily got up from my chair and was about to leave when Matt grabbed my hand.

"I'm really sorry for your loss, Scarlett. I couldn't imagine something happening to my little girl, especially right now. Was that her name?" Matt pointed to my tattoo, which was clearly visible.

"Yea. It was going to be her name. You're having a little girl, too?"

Matt lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Yea. I can't wait to meet her. Um, if I can, can I ask what happened?"

"Um, her father. Her father didn't want kids and he, um, beat me to the point where I lost her."

"Oh. That's not right. That guy was an asshole and he shouldn't have done that," Matt said.

"I know. Believe me, I know. But he left and now I'm down here. I think she would have been proud of me for trying to make a better life for myself."

"I think she is. Come on. Let's go spar for a while. I might let you win," Matt joked.

"Oh, really? I don't think you'll let me win," I retorted. I actually felt better somehow. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I don't know why I chose Matt to tell one of my biggest secrets to, but it's out now. All I have to do is trust him to not tell anyone, and that included Colby.

"Oh, yea? Why's that?"

"Because I'll win, anyways. Hey, Matt?"

"Yea?"

"You promise not to tell anyone?"

"Your secret's safe with me. Does Colby know?"

"No. Not yet. I don't know how or when to tell him, though," I told him.

"He hasn't seen the tattoo?"

"I've made sure to wear stuff so it's not visible. I don't know why I decided to wear this top today. I guess I didn't feel like hiding anymore."

"That's a good thing. Even though I'm not exactly the best person for you to confess stuff to, I can relate to this. I'm going to be a parent soon and if anything happened to my girlfriend or my daughter, I wouldn't know what to do. So your secret is safe with me and you can talk to me if you feel like you need someone. Okay?"

"Alright. Thank you, Matt. Now come on so I can kick your ass," I said as I smacked his chest.

"That's why you think." Matt threw his arm around my waist as we walked to a free ring, where Bill put us both through the wringer.

"Ohh, fuck, I'm sore now!" I exclaimed as I gulped down what seemed like my third bottle of water. I poured some of it over my head and shook it off as I felt that sweet burn flow through my body. It was a few hours after my confession and I was feeling damn good now that I had wrestled for a little while.

"That, my dear, is the feeling of a damn good workout," Matt said as he ran his hands through his already messy hair.

"I knew Bill would put us through our paces, but I wasn't expecting Bill and Sara to do that – at the same time!"

"Well, Sara's your trainer, so she's got to help out with you. You are definitely improving. I wouldn't be surprised if Paul and Stephanie tell you to start doing house shows soon. Speaking of which, I have to go because I've got one tonight in Leesburg."

"Leesburg?!" I exclaimed.

"Not your Leesburg, doll. The one here in Florida."

"Oh. I knew that."

"No ya didn't," Matt retorted with a grin on his face.

"Fine. I didn't. Besides, I doubt they'd have anywhere for house shows back home. Maybe at the Civic Center in Albany, but hell, they can't even get anyone to go to the house shows for Raw and Smackdown. Have fun at the house show, Matt."

"Thanks. Hopefully you'll get to wrestle one soon. It's pretty fun. Alright, see you later. Happy Valentine's Day, doll," Matt said as he hugged me. I hugged him back and what do you know? No butterflies this time. Eh, it wasn't meant to be anyways.

"Happy Valentine's Day. I'm gonna go cool down and get back to it. See you later."

I walked away to the locker rooms, where I took a quick shower. After I got out, I made my way over to Sara and the Divas.

"Ready to go?" Sara asked.

"Yes, ma'am. Let's do it."

Sara spent a few hours going through some drills with us and then took us through a match with each one of the girls. I was then paired off with a new girl named Alexa Bliss.

"Hi, I'm Scarlett," I said as I held out my hand to introduce myself.

"Hi! I'm Lexi! My ring name is Alexa Bliss, though," she replied with a big smile. She kind of reminded me of Kelly Kelly, except a little smaller and lot more bubbly. She also had pretty streaks of blue through her hair, which I did compliment her on.

"Cool. So, ready to do this?"

"Bring it on."

We locked up a few times before I Irish whipped Lexi into the ring post. I ran at her, but she dodged out of the way by jumping up onto the top rope. _Whoa,_ I thought. _She's pretty good._ I jumped up on the top rope with her and delivered some forearm smashes to her face. I went to pick her up for a suplex, but she resisted.

"Come on, Lexi. Let me suplex you," I told her.

"Not on your life, darling," was her reply. She then proceeded to push me off the ropes. I crashed to the ring, and holy hell, that hurt. The next thing I saw was blonde hair and a tiny body crash down onto me. I groaned as Lexi went to pin me, but I kicked out. I got up slowly and took deep breaths.

"You alright?" Sara asked. I nodded as I got to my feet.

"Wow. You're a little daredevil, aren't you, Lexi?"

"I guess so. Come on, let's keep going. If you can," she taunted.

"Oh, it's so on."

We wrestled for a few more minutes until I pulled out a new move that Sara and I were practicing over the last few weeks.

"Hey, Lexi? I'm going to do a new move on you. Work with me?"

"Alright. Let's see it."

Sara and I slowly walked her through the move and when she felt like she was ready for me to do it, Lexi gave me the go-ahead.

"Alright, let's go through this again!" Sara called out.

I climbed up onto the top turnbuckle and Lexi stood up on the ring facing me. I did a back flip off the top rope and grabbed her for a DDT on the way down. Once she was down, I pinned her for the win.

"Hey. You alright? I didn't mess up anything?" I asked after the match.

"No. I'm fine. That was a really cool move, though!" Lexi gushed.

"Thank you. I had to convince Paul and Stephanie to let me use it, though. They told me that if I wanted to use that move, I had to practice it a lot and I had to walk everyone through it. So you'll be seeing Sara and me walking a lot of y'all through this so I don't hurt anyone. If you want, we can practice some more on Monday," I told her.

"Sure. I look forward to working with you, Scarlett."

"Same here."

Lexi got out of the ring and I was just about to follow suit when Sara stopped me.

"Hey, Scarlett?"

"What's up, Sara?" I wanted to know. She didn't usually stop me after a match.

"I just wanted to tell you that you're doing pretty damn well. You're improving a lot. I think, with enough practices, you'll be ready to start some house shows soon," Sara said with a smile.

"Really? That would be awesome! Thank you so much!" I exclaimed.

"Don't thank me just yet, Reed. You've got a long ways to go before you can get in the ring with the other girls."

"I know that. I'm gonna keep practicing and when you guys feel I'm ready, then I'm ready. I do have a question, though."

"What's that?"

"Do you think we can get Bryan in here one day? I mean, after all, he did train you and you've certainly helped us all out. Maybe he can show us some moves? Or maybe Claudio can come help out."

When I mentioned Cesaro's name, Sara started blushing.

"Why are you blushing?" I asked her. I couldn't keep the smile off my face when I asked and it seemed neither could she.

"Um. . ."

"Aww, I know what it is! You like him!" I squealed like a girl who just found out who her best friend liked.

"Okay. Yes! Shut up! We're actually going out on a date tonight. He asked me out a couple of weeks ago and we finally have time to go out."

"Aww! That's awesome! Looks like the "Queen of Wrestling" is finally getting her king," I joked.

"Go cool down or something," Sara said dismissively, but she said it with a smile. I stuck my tongue out at her as I got out of the ring.

"Fine. Have fun tonight!" I called out.

I made my way into the locker room, where I took another shower and then walked over to the Prevention Room, where I asked the trainers to give me an ice bath.

"Cold. Cold. Cold!" I shuddered as I lowered myself into the icy tub. After a few moments of resisting the cold, I leaned back and relaxed, letting the ice soothe my sore muscles.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Huh? I opened my eyes to see Colby standing in front of me.

"Hey! Um, gimme about 20 minutes and I'll be right with you," I told him. I did not feel like getting out right now.

"That's fine. We can talk here." Colby sat down next to me and grinned.

"Hey, babe," he said.

"Hi. I thought you weren't coming today?"

"Change of plans. So, got enough ice?"

"I think so," I replied with a small laugh.

"Bill and Sara must've put you through the wringer today."

"Oh, fuck yes, they did. Between them and me having to walk some Divas through my new move, I'm beat!"

"Oh, yea? What's the new move?" Colby asked.

"It's a Shooting Star DDT. I've been working on it for a while. I had to beg Paul and Stephanie to let me do it, though. They said I could as long as I practiced it with Sara first and the both of us walked the other girls through it so we didn't botch it."

"Ooh. A Shooting Star DDT. Haven't seen one of those in a while. Do you have a name for it yet?"

"Ah, not yet. I'll think of one later. Ya know, you showing up tonight just completely screwed up my plans and Tucker will not be a happy camper," I told him.

"Oh yea? Why's that?"

"'Cause Tucker and I were just gonna sit at home and watch Smackdown while the girls went out on their dates. I was gonna talk to Mattias and Joe earlier, but I can't find them. I'll go look for them later. So, since you're here, do you have any plans for us?" I wanted to know.

"I'll think of something while you're taking your ice bath," Colby replied.

"Oh, come on. Really, dude?" I picked up an ice cube and threw it at him.

"Oh, shit, that's cold!"

"That's one ice cube. I thought you were from Iowa? It's colder up there than down here, pussy," I taunted.

"Did you just . . .?"

"Yep. What are you gonna do about it?"

Colby smirked.

"That, my dear, is for me to know and for you to find out later tonight," was his reply. I shook my head and relaxed further into my ice bath.

 _You know you have to tell him about Cadence and Kai_ , a voice in my head told me.

 _Fuck. I know. I'll tell him tonight._

"Hey, Colby?"

"Yea, babe?"

"Um, when we go out tonight, I need to talk to you about something," I said nervously.

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you here. Like, we need to be alone. It's, uh, pretty big." I bit my lip as I waited for Colby's answer. Hopefully he would agree to this.

"Is it like a secret or something?" he asked.

"Yea. It's actually my biggest secret. I didn't know when the right time was to tell you about this, but. . . I think I need to tell you now."

Colby nodded slowly and then he pushed some of my wet hair out of my face.

"What brought this on? You don't have to tell me if you feel you're not ready to," he said.

"I know. But I need to. And as for why, um, it has to do with today. Um, something happened to me a few years ago on Valentine's Day that threw my entire world upside down and I still haven't quite gotten over it yet."

"Is this about the cheating ex you told me about a few weeks ago?"

"Sorta. Like I said, I don't really want to talk about it here in public. Can we talk tonight?"

"Of course we can, darling." Colby told me as he moved closer to me. "If you really feel like you wanna tell me, then we can talk tonight. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not that bad."

 _Oh, you have no idea_ , I thought.

"It might be," I pointed out.

"I promise you, it won't be. Now you just enjoy your ice bath. I'm gonna go train with the guys for a little bit." Colby kissed my forehead and smiled at me as he left the Prevention Room.

 _Maybe I can trust Colby with this_ , I thought. _Hey, if I can tell Matt, I can tell Colby. Now I just have to figure out how to tell my friends about this. They don't mind the fact that I'm talking about Kai and Cadence, but they will mind if someone finds out and uses that against me._

I spent a few more minutes in the ice bath and only got out when the ice started turning to water. I dried off and walked out of the Prevention Room. I walked around the Performance Center until I found Mattias and Joe talking in the Superstar Lounge.

"Hey, guys!" I exclaimed.

"Hey!" they said in unison. I gave the guys a hug and sat down in between them at the bar.

"So what's going on with y'all? Heard you two have dates tonight," I said with a smile. Mattias and Joe grinned at that.

"Of course. I can't wait to spend Valentine's Day with Willow. She's a pretty cool girl," Mattias told me. He couldn't keep the smile off his face as he talked about my best friend. Willow was the same way. Ever since she and Mattias hooked up at our Royal Rumble party, she couldn't stop gushing about him. Even I got annoyed sometimes, but hey, they got peeved whenever I talked about Colby.

"What about you, Joe? What are your plans for Brielle?"

"Oh, starting the best friend interrogation early, huh?" Joe joked.

"Of course I am. If not now, when?"

"I think Mattias and I are going to double date. We're not scheduled to work tonight, so this is nice. I think I'm going to take Brielle hiking tomorrow, get her to get in touch with nature. Like you said, if not now, when?"

Mattias rolled his eyes as he drank his water.

"Really, Joe? Not everyone is all save-the-earth like you," Mattias snapped.

"Why shouldn't you be? It's a good thing. Like the fact that you're drinking that out of a plastic water bottle. You could get heart disease from that. And I bet it's not even biodegradable," Joe retorted. He put his dreadlocks up in a ponytail and Mattias and I had to roll our eyes at him. _What does Brielle even see in this guy?_ I thought. _He's so . . . weird and not in the normal way of weird. It's like he can't turn off his in-ring persona. Or maybe he really is environmentally conscious, like Brie and Bryan. Oy. Just as long as he doesn't do anything stupid or he'll have to deal with me._

Mattias gave Joe a "WTF?" look and shook his head.

"Whatever. So, Scarlett. Is Willow excited about tonight?" he asked.

"What about Brielle? I can't wait to see her tonight," Joe added with a smile.

"The girls can't wait for tonight. They've been talking about this for weeks!" I exclaimed.

"What about you? You have any plans? You can come with us, if you want," Joe said.

"I would, but I have plans for tonight. Colby's coming to take me out."

"I thought you said he wasn't coming tonight because of a house show?" Mattias wanted to know.

"I guess he's not working the show tonight. That just leaves poor Tucker at home by himself. Poor guy. I really hope he does find somebody. He deserves it," I told them.

"I'm sure there's a guy out there for Tucker. Maybe it might be here, or somewhere else, but there is someone for him," Joe replied.

"Aww! Joe, that's so sweet of you! Now I see why Brielle likes you," I teased. Joe blushed a little and Mattias laughed at him.

"Oh, come on, Mattias! That's mean! You're telling me you don't light up or blush whenever I mention Willow?" It was Mattias's turn to blush then. "Aha! I have my answer! I'll see you two later tonight. Have fun, guys and bring my girls home in one piece, okay? I'm gonna go ahead and go." I got up and left the Superstar Lounge to go get my stuff. Looks like I have to get ready for a date tonight.

I walked out of the locker room and found Colby talking to Sara in the workout room.

"Hey, honey! 'Bout ready to go?" Colby asked as he wrapped an arm around my waist.

"Yea, I am. Guess I have to get ready for a date tonight, it seems," I told him.

"Oh really now? Well, who's the lucky guy, I wonder?" Colby teased. I swatted his chest before standing up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Oh, now I remember. It's me!"

We laughed at that and then I asked Sara,

"So when is Claudio coming to pick you up?"

"He'll be here soon. So what are you guys doing tonight?" she asked.

"I have no idea. He won't even tell me. He probably has no idea, either," I replied.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. You'll just have to wait and see, darling," Colby said as he kissed the top of my head.

"Uh-huh. Okay. Come on, let's go."

We walked out of the Performance Center holding hands and I have to admit, I liked the way my hand fit in his. It looked small but perfect.

"What's got you smiling over there?" Colby wanted to know. I held up our interlaced fingers in response and he kissed my hand.

"Really? Oh, when we go out tonight, I have a present for you."

"Well, what is it, Colby?" Presents? Oh fuck. I forgot to get him one. Dammit!

"I can't tell you. It wouldn't be a surprise if I did."

"I didn't get you anything, though," I pouted.

"Aww, baby, it's okay. As long as I have you with me, that's all I could ever want or need. I know we haven't been together for long, but I could see this going somewhere. I like you. A lot and I can't wait to spend my first Valentine's Day with you." Damn. That was real smooth. And so romantic! My heart was practically singing.

"Well, damn, son. You're just as smooth as butter on toast, aren't you?"

Colby laughed as he leaned down to kiss me. I eagerly returned his kiss with a smile on my face. He probably wouldn't be smiling after I told him about Kai and Cadence, though.

 _What about Phil?_ A voice in my head asked.

 _What about him?_ _That was just a one-time thing and it won't happen again._

 _Still. You did technically cheat on Colby._

 _Fuck off._

 _I can't. I'm just a voice in your head that you keep responding to._

I mentally growled at my inner voice and turned my attention back to my sweet boyfriend.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" I wanted to know.

"Honestly, I was thinking we wing it tonight. Would that be alright with you?" Colby replied. I nodded.

"That would be more than alright with me. I gotta go. See you later, honey." We kissed one more time before Colby let me go.

"See you later, darling."

We walked off to our respective vehicles and I drove home with a smile on my face. I couldn't help but feel a little giddy at the prospect of spending a Valentine's Day with a guy that actually wanted to be with me. I listened to silly love songs on the drive home and when I got home, I could definitely feel love and whatever else Valentine's Day consisted of in the air.

"Hey, Scarlett! How was practice?" Willow asked when I walked in the door.

"It was pretty good. I do need to talk to y'all about something, though," I replied.

"What exactly do you need to tell us?"

"Just get Tucker and Brielle in here, please?"

"What's going on?" Tucker asked a few minutes later.

"I need to talk to you guys about something," I told them.

"I think I know what it's about," Brielle said.

Tucker looked at me and understanding dawned on him. His mouth formed an O and he nodded.

"What is it? Did you have another nightmare?" Willow asked concernedly.

"Um, yea. But this time, it happened while I was driving to the Performance Center. I don't know; I guess today just triggered something inside me. I'm surprised that I didn't get into an accident because I literally had no idea what I was doing."

"Oh my God. Are you okay now, though? Well, as okay as you can be?" Brielle wanted to know. I gave her a small smile as I replied,

"Yea. I'm okay now. Um, I told someone, though."

My friends stared at me with wide eyes and open mouths.

"Well, who was it?" Tucker asked.

"That's what I wanna know. Also, are you sure you can trust this person? Was it Colby?" Brielle added.

"Colby wasn't even there today. Was he?" Willow wanted to know.

"Colby showed up much later. I'm going to tell him tonight, though. I told Matt," I confessed.

"Why Matt? Besides, don't you have a crush on him?" Willow asked.

"I did have a crush on him. Until he told me his plans for tonight. He's taking his girlfriend out for dinner because their baby girl is due in July. I dunno. Something inside me told me to tell Matt because he sort of knows what I went through. That and the fact he saw my tattoo."

Brielle reached out and squeezed my hand. I laid my hand on top of hers.

"Did Matt have a daughter die?" Tucker wanted to know.

"No. This is his first kid. He said that he would be heartbroken if something happened to her or his girlfriend. I didn't tell him all of what happened with Kai, but Matt said that what Kai did was wrong. So I guess Matt does empathize with me. And no more crush, so I can focus on Colby now."

"That's a good thing. You don't need any more boy drama. You've had enough for a while now," Willow said with a smile.

"Oh, don't I know it. Speaking of boys, your boys are so ready to go out with you two tonight. Mattias couldn't stop blushing when he mentioned you, Willow. And Joe was just an adorkable little hippie when he talked about you, Brielle. Also, Tucker? Sorry kid, but uh, I have plans myself tonight."

"Colby showed up. Dammit! Now what am I supposed to do tonight?" Tucker whined.

"Just go out! I'm sure there's a guy somewhere in Orlando for you," Brielle said.

"Besides, there are plenty of single guys in Orlando. You don't exactly have to find Mr. Right tonight. Just Mr. Right for Tonight," Willow joked.

"Y'all know I'm not like that." Tucker told them. "I want to have a relationship. A real one. Sometimes I wish I wasn't gay. At least it'd be easier for me to be in a relationship."

"Tuck, it's hard for us too," I told him.

"I know that, Scarlett. And I understand. I just wish I could find someone that actually liked me. Maybe I should go out tonight. I won't find anyone sitting here by myself."

"That's the spirit!" we exclaimed as we hugged our best friend.

"Just make sure he's not a total toolbox, okay?" Brielle said. We laughed at that one and then I added,

"She's right, Tucker. No matter what, just make sure he treats you right and isn't a total douchebag. Doesn't matter what a guy likes, there will always be a douchebag somewhere."

"That's for sure. So what does Colby have planned? Also, how will he react to you telling him about Kai and Cadence? This is a big deal," Willow said matter-of-factly. Straight to the point. That's my Willow.

"I don't know how he will react. I just hope that he takes it well because like it or not, those two are a part of me, even if they are long gone. Well, Cadence is. I don't know about Kai, and quite frankly, I hope I never have to find out. As for what we're doing tonight, I don't know. We're gonna wing it. I don't mind because I'm just happy Colby even showed up. I figured he'd be working a house show. Come on, let's go get ready. Yes, that includes you, too, Tucker," I told them.

We got up to get ready for our dates, singing love songs the entire time. While I was getting dressed, my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, Miss Scarlett."

"Phil! Oh my God! Why are you calling?"

"Really? I can't call my friend on Valentine's Day?"

"Not when your friend is getting ready for a date tonight and maybe you should be too," I retorted. Honestly, I didn't know why Phil was calling. I figured he would have something planned for AJ tonight.

"I would, if April were here. She's coming tomorrow and we'll do the whole Valentine's Day thing then. Who's the lucky guy tonight?"

"You know who. Colby. He's not scheduled to work tonight, so he came down here to surprise me. We're going to wing it tonight and see where it goes. Willow's going to go out with Mattias and Brielle's going out with Joe," I told him.

"What about Tucker? Y'all just gonna leave him at home by himself?"

"No. We convinced him to go out and have fun tonight. Maybe he'll bring a new guy home tonight, or maybe he won't. We just wanted him to have fun."

"Well, that's a good thing. He deserves to be happy, just like anyone else. So does Colby know about your tattoo?"

"Really, Phil? You're still on that?"

"Of course. Not everyone has tattoos of someone's names on them unless it was an ex, a deceased family member, or a kid. Which is it?"

"A kid. A deceased kid. She was my daughter. There. You happy now?" I snapped. Why did he have to make me tell him over the phone? Maybe I should've just told him when he spent the night last weekend.

"Oh. Damn. I'm sorry. Um, what happened?"

"I had a miscarriage. That was going to be her name. Her dad hit me to the point one night that I lost her. It happened when I was in Atlanta. He went to wrestling school with me." I thought that talking about this would make it easier for me, but it just hurts more and more every time I have to talk about Kai and Cadence.

"Did he get in trouble? He shoulda got his ass beat because of that."

"No. He left right after he hit me. I haven't seen him since. Maybe he did get arrested later on, or maybe he just left Georgia altogether. Either way, I don't care and I don't want to know. Kai Knighton can just go jump off a cliff, for all I care."

"Jeez. I'm sorry, Scarlett. I shouldn't have asked like that. That was wrong of me," Phil said apologetically.

"It's okay, Phil. I'm getting better now and making a name for myself. I'm trying to make myself into someone my little girl would've been proud of."

"I think she is, wherever she might be. I sure am. I can't wait to see you on TV soon, Miss Scarlett," Phil told me. I smiled at his words.

"That's going to be a while yet, Mr. Brooks. I'm still in training. It might be another few months or even a few years before I get on TV. I'm just going along for the ride. How are you doing?"

"I'm getting better. I just went to the doctor the other day and got checked out. I'm slowly healing up. Although, it feels really good to be sleeping in my own bed for more than a day or two."

I laughed at him and I thought about what he said. This business is going to take a toll on me in all ways and how long would it be before I decided no more? Also, there is the fact that I will have to leave my friends for long stretches of time whenever I do get on the main roster.

"That's good. I'm glad you're getting better. Are you still getting money from them? I'm only asking because I don't know what you're going to do now for income. April's good, but I'm pretty sure she's not making as much as you were."

"I'm still getting checks. As for what I'll do for income, I'll figure that out when that time gets here. Right now, I'm set for a while. I've been really good with my money and I've got a nice little nest egg for April and I and our eventual family."

"I'm really glad about that, Phil." I told him. "I just want to see you happy. Okay?"

"Okay. I want to make sure you're happy, too. I have a question. Are you going to tell Colby about your kid?"

"Yea. I'm gonna talk to him tonight about them. I don't know how he'll take it, though."

"He better take it pretty damn well, or I'm gonna kick his ass for leaving you," Phil said angrily.

"Whoa. Easy, killer. I'm sure Colby will be fine with it. It is a part of me and it's a pretty big piece of my past. I wasn't going to tell him today, but this fucking holiday messes with me every year. I gotta go. Happy Valentine's Day," I said as I smiled.

"Okay. Happy Valentine's Day, Scarlett. Too bad we can't spend the night together again," Phil joked.

"Oh my God. Shut up! God, you're so bad sometimes," I laughed. I heard Phil laughing on the other end.

"Yes. Yes, I am. You know you like it, though."

"You wish! I'm seriously hanging up now," I said with a laugh.

"Okay. Talk to you later." I heard the call end tone sound and I put my phone down. I finished getting dressed and met my friends in the living room.

Tucker was looking quite dapper in a pair of dark blue jeans with a black shirt underneath and a blazer over it. Brielle had on this gorgeous little gray ombré dress that came to her knees with black tights and a pair of ankle boots while Willow had on a striking red dress with a pair of black stilettos.

"Damn. We look good," I remarked.

"Us? What about you? You look smoking!" Brielle said to me.

"Psh. Stop," I said with fake modesty. Well, I did look pretty hot. I had on a cream colored sweaterdress with a red belt, gray tights and pair of black knee-high boots.

"Ready to blow our guys away?" Willow asked.

"Hell yes!" we exclaimed in unison. We sat on the couch waiting for our dates. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang.

"I think that might be Mattias," Willow said as she got up. Sure, enough when she opened the door, it was Mattias looking very handsome in an outfit much like Tucker's except he had a white button-up shirt instead of a t-shirt.

"Well, damn. I know you look good, but damn," Mattias said as he checked her out. Willow led him in and exclaimed,

"Aww, thank you, Mattias!" Then she kissed him quite passionately. We watched them make out for a little while until I cleared my throat quite loudly. They jumped apart and I had to laugh at the sheepish expression on Willow's face. Well, it wasn't the first time I caught her making out with someone.

"Don't y'all need to go have your date?" I asked.

"I have to wait on Joe to get here. We're double-dating, remember? He's making us go in his Prius," Mattias said as Willow fussed with the lapels of his jacket.

"Is it blue?" Tucker asked. All of us started laughing while Mattias looked at us in confusion.

"Why would you ask that?"

"Wow. You've never seen the comic Jeff Dunham, have you?" Willow asked.

"Um, no. Why?" Mattias asked uncomprehendingly.

"He made this joke one time about driving a blue Prius," Brielle said.

"Oh. Okay, I'll have to look that up someday. Why make that joke?"

"Well, looks like the dumb blonde doesn't apply to females," I joked.

"Hey! I can't help it if I get confused easily. I'm only paid to wrestle and look pretty, that's all. Although, Willow certainly looks prettier than me right now." Willow blushed as deep red as her dress. She was about to respond when the doorbell rang again.

"I'll get it! I hope it's Joe," Brielle said as she walked to the door. She opened it and I lit up.

"No. It's your man instead." I stuck my tongue out at her as I greeted Colby with a hug and a kiss.

"Come in. We're just waiting on Joe," I told him. Colby walked in and greeted my friends as well as Mattias.

"Here you go," Colby said with a smile as he handed me a box.

"What? Colby! Aww, you didn't have to do this!" I exclaimed while tearing into the box.

"Hey, where's my present?" I heard Willow ask Mattias.

"Your present will be given to you later on tonight. If you're a good girl, that is," Mattias replied with a wink.

"Really, guys? Get a room!" Tucker teased.

"Maybe later," Mattias shot back, making the rest of us gasp in faux shock. I looked down at my present and saw it was a gorgeous rose gold locket in the shape of a heart.

"A locket, Colby?" I asked with a huge grin on my face. I certainly wasn't expecting a locket. I figured it would be a few more months before he started buying me jewelry.

"Yea. It's empty right now, but I hope that we can put a picture of us in there soon. You can open it up, though. I even had your initials engraved on the back of it," Colby said. He motioned for me to open it and I gasped when I read the inside.

"What's it say?" Brielle asked.

"It says "To the start of something new. Colby." Aww, Colby!" I gushed as I looked up at him. He had a big smile on his face and I kissed his smiling lips.

"Put it on, darling," Colby urged. I closed the heart and slipped it around my neck. I kissed him again for a little while longer until there was a knock on the door. Brielle opened it to find Joe standing there with a big bouquet of flowers and a small teddy bear.

Brielle squealed in delight as she accepted the gifts and gave Joe a kiss.

"About time you get here, man. Let's go. I'm starving!" Mattias exclaimed.

"Have fun, you guys!" Tucker called out as Willow and Brielle left. I took her flowers and found a vase for them. Why we brought vases, I don't know, but it seemed they were a good investment. I put a bit of water in the vase and placed the flowers in them. I walked back to the living room to Colby.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Definitely. Tucker?" I asked.

"Yea?"

"Have fun. Use protection and don't get in too much trouble. Okay?"

"Okay. Have fun!"

Tucker walked out with us to his car and I got in my truck.

"I still don't see why we need to take this big-ass vehicle," Colby remarked as I started up the truck.

"Leave my baby alone," I told him as I swatted his leg. Colby stuck out his tongue and I responded in kind.

"What are we going to do?"

"Hmm. Want to go see a movie?" he asked.

"You know it's gonna be a chick flick, right?" I told him.

"I know. I don't care, though. Let me look up times for movies. Anything interest you, babe?"

"Besides you?" Colby grinned as he opened up his phone to look for movie showtimes. "Um, I think there's that Alex Pettyfer movie out today called _Endless Love_. It's based off a book, which I haven't read yet. Or that Colin Farrell movie, _Winter's Tale_."

"How about we go see _Winter's Tale_ and I'll buy you the book for the other movie tonight? That way, you won't feel like you're missing stuff when you watch the movie," Colby replied.

"Oh my fucking God. You get it! Someone finally gets it!" I shouted happily.

"Get what?"

"I don't really like seeing movies or TV shows that are based off books before I've read the books. Sometimes I'll watch a movie or TV show and find out that it's based off a book and then I have to go get that book so I can find out the information I missed in the movie. It really annoys me sometime. I'm a little weird like that," I confessed.

"I like weird. I didn't know you were such a bookworm. What do you like reading?"

"Eh, pretty much everything. Well, I don't really like reading non-fiction. That bores me to tears and some fiction does, too. Other than that, I'll read anything I can get my hands on. I just haven't had time to read lately, what with wrestling and you. Not that I mind."

"I would hope you don't. Um, they're showing _Endless Love_ at 9:45 and _Winter's Tale_ at midnight. What do you wanna do? It's up to you," Colby said.

"How 'bout both? We can eat before the movie and then watch both. After that, it's up to you," I replied.

"Okay, cool. I'm gonna go ahead and buy the tickets. What was it you wanted to tell me earlier?" Colby asked absently as he stared at his phone. _Now? Really? You couldn't wait?_ I thought.

"Um, can we not do it while I'm driving? I wanna be sitting still when I tell you." We stopped at a red light and I turned to look at Colby. He was staring at me with those big brown eyes.

"Uh, okay," he said as he ran his hand through his hair.

"I liked the fact you wore your hair down for this date," I told him with a smile.

"Me too. I wanted to wear it down last time, but it wasn't exactly manageable."

"I know exactly how you feel. Some days, I'm just like fuck it. I do have to ask, though. How often do you get the blonde streak redone? It looks like you're gonna need a touchup soon."

"I'll probably get it done next month when I go back home. I've got someone that does it for me. I'll get her to do it for me."

Her? That little green-eyed bitch called jealousy was awakening and boy, was she ready for a fight.

"Her?" I asked as calmly as I could. Colby laid his hand on my thigh as he replied,

"Relax. She's just a friend and my hairstylist of sorts. She doesn't mean anything to me. You do, Scarlett. That's why I had what I did on the locket. This is something new and I don't want to mess it up."

The little green eyed bitch seemed pacified by this and retreated as I smiled at him.

"I know. Sorry."

"It's okay."

We drove on for a while, alternating between talking and listening to the radio.

"Oh my God! I love this song!" I exclaimed as I turned the radio up. It was on the 80's Sirius XM station and they were playing New Kids on the Block's "You Got It (The Right Stuff)". I laughed gleefully as I sang along with my mom's favorite boy band while I saw Colby rolling his eyes and shaking his head out the corner of my eye.

" _Your first kiss was a sweet kiss_

 _Second kiss had a twist_

 _Third and your fourth kiss_

 _I don't want to miss_

 _I can see it in your walk_

 _Tell 'em when you talk_

 _See it in everything you do_

 _Even in your thoughts_

 _You got the right stuff, baby_

 _Love the way you turn me on_

 _You got the right stuff, baby_

 _You're the reason why I sing this song_

 _All that I needed was you_

 _Oh girl, you're so right_

 _Said all that I wanted was you_

 _You made all... every one of my dreams come true_

 _Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh_

 _Oh, oh, oh, oh_

 _Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh_

 _The right stuff_

 _Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh_

 _Oh, oh, oh, oh_

 _Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh_

 _The right stuff_ "

When the song went off, I glanced over at Colby, who was laughing at me.

"What? Don't be hating on my New Kids on the Block!" I exclaimed laughingly.

"I'm not. I just haven't heard that since I was a kid. Or I probably didn't hear it. When did the song come out?"

"I think about 1987. So the only way you might've heard it is if you had an older sibling that played it when you were younger or you might've heard it on the radio."

"I can't believe you listen to them. I figured you'd listen to Backstreet Boys or something like that."

"I do listen to them. I like boy bands, okay? Don't judge me. I listen to a lot of music from a lot of different genres."

"Can I flip through to find some music now?"

I dug out the remote to my radio out of my console and handed it to Colby. He started changing the channels until I stopped him.

"Oh my God. Another cheesy song?" he groaned.

"Cheesy?! This is the love song from one of the greatest love stories of all time! _Titanic_! Leave it!" I commanded. Colby put down the remote and threw up his hands in surrender.

I then proceeded to give my best Céline Dion impression as I sang "My Heart Will Go On".

" _Every night in my dreams_

 _I see you, I feel you,_

 _That is how I know you go on_

 _Far across the distance_

 _And spaces between us_

 _You have come to show you go on_

 _Near, far, wherever you are_

 _I believe that the heart does go on_

 _Once more you open the door_

 _And you're here in my heart_

 _And my heart will go on and on_

 _Love can touch us one time_

 _And last for a lifetime_

 _And never let go till we're gone_

 _Love was when I loved you_

 _One true time I hold to_

 _In my life we'll always go on_

 _Near, far, wherever you are_

 _I believe that the heart does go on_

 _Once more you open the door_

 _And you're here in my heart_

 _And my heart will go on and on_

 _You're here, there's nothing I fear,_

 _And I know that my heart will go on_

 _We'll stay forever this way_

 _You are safe in my heart_

 _And my heart will go on and on_ "

After the song was over, Colby started applauding. I couldn't take a bow in my seat, but I accepted his applause as best I could.

"Thank you. Thank you. You're far too kind!" I said.

"Wow. Okay, I'm going to ask where you learned how to do that."

"That, dear lovely, is from years of watching _Titanic_ and singing the song every time. I still can't hit that high note, but I don't care. I adore that song. Okay, we've been driving around for a while and we still haven't eaten yet. What do you wanna eat?" I asked.

"I really don't care. Honestly, I'd rather just drive around until the movie starts and listen to you sing. I like it," Colby said with a grin.

"I'm not that good at it, though. I just like doing it. We do need to eat, though. How about we get Wendy's? You can get a salad if you want."

"Sure. And you are good at singing," Colby replied.

"Nah. I'm just doing it for fun. Okay, here comes another so-called cheesy love song. This one's a childhood classic, though." I turned up the radio so I could sing "Kiss the Girl" from _The Little Mermaid_.

 ** _"Yes, you want her_**

 ** _Look at her, you know you do_**

 ** _It's possible she wants you, too_**

 ** _There is one way to ask her_**

 ** _It don't take a word_**

 ** _Not a single word_**

 ** _Go on and kiss the girl_**

 ** _Sing with me now_**

 ** _Sha-la-la-la-la-la_**

 ** _My, oh, my_**

 ** _Look at the boy too shy_**

 ** _He ain't gonna kiss the girl_**

 ** _Sha-la-la-la-la-la_**

 ** _Ain't that sad_**

 ** _Ain't it shame, too bad_**

 ** _You gonna miss the girl"_**

"Are you trying to say something?" Colby wondered when the song went off.

"Maybe," I replied playfully as I pulled into the parking lot of Wendy's.

I turned the truck off and was about to get out when Colby laid his hand on top of mine. I looked back at him and he was smiling.

"What's got you smiling over there?" I wanted to know.

"Just you, darling. I missed you. Also, I don't think I apologized for what I did last weekend," was Colby's reply.

I tried to remember what he did and then it dawned on me. He got jealous because Phil was there. Colby would be so far past jealous if he knew Phil had stayed the whole night and part of the morning too.

"It's okay, Phil. The fact that you're jealous means you really care about me and you don't want to lose me. Although, try to tone it down a little, okay? You're gonna scare all my guy friends away," I told him with a laugh.

"Nah. I don't want that to happen. Who's going to protect you when I'm not there?" Colby teased.

"Me. And Willow, Tucker and Brielle," I replied. I winked at him and got out of the truck. Colby followed me into Wendy's where we got our food.

I sat down in a booth and waited for Colby to get back with the food since he insisted on paying for it himself, even after I told him I could pay for it.

"Okay. I got the food. And your Frosty. It's February, Scarlett. Why do you want a Frosty?" Colby asked as he set the tray full of food down.

"I have this weird thing about eating ice cream in the winter. I love doing it, because that means I can go curl up under a blanket when I get done. Also, this."

I took the lid off my Frosty and picked up a French fry. "Observe." I stuck the French fry in my Frosty, scooped some up and popped the fry in my mouth. Colby looked at me dumbfounded.

"What the hell was that?" he asked confusedly.

"That, my dear, was a Frosty French fry. It's the best thing ever. You've heard of how sweet and salty food mix together for an amazing sensation, like sea salt caramel ice cream? Well, this is like that. I've been doing it since I was a kid. You can do it with any type of Frosty. Here, you try." I pushed the cup towards him as well as my carton of fries since he got a salad.

Colby looked up at me and down at the food. I motioned for him to go on and he picked up a French fry warily.

"It's not gonna bite you, babe. Go on," I urged. Colby stuck the fry in the Frosty and picked it up almost immediately. I rolled my eyes at him.

"You didn't get even get anything on it. Give it here." Colby gave me the fry and I dipped it back into the Frosty, making sure there was a suitable amount of whatever the hell makes up a Frosty on it and motioned for him to open his mouth. He opened his mouth and I popped it in there.

"Now chew and swallow," I commanded. Colby did just that and when he was done, he had a look of approval on his face.

"Hey, this is pretty good, actually. I can't believe I've never done that before. Gimme a minute. I'm gonna go get a Frosty and some fries," he told me with a smile. I watched him go back up to the counter and I had to shake my head and laugh to myself. _Another one converted_ , I thought. I had gotten Willow to do it when we were kids, and when I came to Atlanta, I got Brielle and Tucker to try it. I could never get Kai to do it for some reason. He always said it would mess up his diet and that I shouldn't be eating fast food if I wanted to be a wrestler. I told him, on more than one occasion, to go fuck himself. I had never had a problem with my metabolism and my diet didn't affect my ring work.

Why am I thinking about Kai right now? I should be thinking about Colby. He's here. Kai's not.

"Hey. What's on your mind?" Colby asked when he sat down with his newly acquired fries and Frosty.

"Nothing. Eat your fries, dude," I told him as I picked up my grilled chicken sandwich and bit into it. Colby looked at me for a moment, shrugged and began eating his food. We ate in silence for a while.

When we got done eating, we cleaned up our mess, put the tray up and walked out of the restaurant holding hands.

"Scarlett, are you sure you're okay? You didn't say anything the whole time," Colby asked as I drove to the movie theater. I didn't respond to him because I didn't want to talk about Kai right now. I just wanted to enjoy this date. I stopped at a red light and sighed.

"Colby, I don't want to talk about this right now. Can we please wait?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Scarlett, you're the one that wanted to talk to me about something. You said it was important and now you're dodging it even though no one's brought it up! I just want to know what the hell is going on!" Colby shouted, making me jump. I sighed again and when the red light turned green, I started driving until I found a park. There was no one there, probably because it was too cold. I parked my truck and got out.

"Where are you going?!" Colby called out as I stormed off towards the park. I ignored him and kept walking until I found the swing set. I sat down on a swing and held onto the chains.

"Hey. Scarlett. Hey." Colby sat down next to me in a swing and laid his hand on mine.

"What's going on? You were all happy-go-lucky earlier, getting me to try Frosty with fries, and now you're giving me the silent treatment? Is it something I did? Did I not do something right? Tell me and I'll fix it. I'll make it all better for you," Colby said softly. I looked up at him through teary eyes. Colby got off the swing and knelt down in front of me as I softly wept.

"What's the matter, honey? Please tell me. Please," he murmured.

"You really want to make it all better for me?" I said through my tears.

"Yea. I do. I really do want to make it better for you," he replied.

"Can you bring my daughter back?"

That made him sit down on the ground.

"I thought so."

"Your . . . daughter? You had a little girl?" Colby asked. I nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't tell anyone except Matt and that's because he knows what I'm going through."

Colby nodded and then I proceeded to tell him the whole story. I left nothing out and when I was done, I was breaking down. Colby reached up to pull me to him and I felt myself being pulled into his arms where he held me, shushing me as he held and rocked me.

"I . . . didn't know. I'm so sorry, Scarlett. I'm so sorry that happened to you," Colby whispered as he held me. I looked up at him and he wiped some tears away. I vainly thought that it was a good idea I had worn waterproof makeup today.

"I haven't told anyone that until today. I keep that secret close to my heart. That's why I have the tattoo and why I can't stand Valentine's Day. That and the fact I haven't had anyone to be with except my friends on this stupid holiday," I said as I wiped some more tears away.

"It's okay. You've got me now. I can't bring your little girl back, but I can help you be okay. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again," Colby promised.

"Are you sure about that?" I asked.

"Yea. I promise you I won't let anyone hurt you, not even me."

"I don't think you could hurt me. You wouldn't be stupid enough to do that. Would you?" I asked seriously. Colby looked at me and replied,

"Of course not. If I do hurt you, though, then I would be very sorry for what I did and I would feel guilty because I know nothing I do or say would make you come back to me."

"Wow. You're the first guy to say that to me. I think I might actually like this holiday now," I told him with a smile.

"Good. I'm glad. So, do you want to spend the rest of Valentine's Day freezing our asses off in a park or do you want to go do something?"

"Well, I don't want to freeze my ass off, so let's go."

We stood up, dusting ourselves off before walking back to my truck.

"Hey, let me drive this time? I'm sure you're fine, but just let me drive this time," Colby said. I felt too tired to argue, so I handed him the keys. We got into the truck and shivered as Colby cranked up the truck, letting the warmth from the heater surround us.

"Um, Colby?"

"Yea?"

"I don't really feel like going to see a movie tonight. Maybe you can get your money on those tickets you bought."

"That's okay. Turns out, I didn't even buy the tickets. I was just about to when you went silent on me and then . . ." he trailed off.

"It's okay, Colby." I told him as I laid my hand on his arm. "Then I broke down in a park while probably subjecting the both of us to hypothermia." Colby rolled his eyes before he said,

"Alright. So, home it is?"

"Home it is. We'll probably be the only ones there, though. No funny business, either," I warned.

"None at all. I'm not even thinking about that. Technically, this is only our second date. The sex part won't even come 'til like a few months down the road, or whenever you want to. It's up to you actually."

Whenever I want to, eh? No. Not tonight. Maybe later on, when I know him a little better.

"That's actually pretty thoughtful of you, Colby. But I know you'll be thinking about it, won't you?" That earned me a little smirk from him.

"Of course. I'm a guy. But I won't do anything unless you tell me to."

I smiled at that and leaned back in my seat as Colby drove home. As Colby drove on, I thought about all that had just went down. I confessed my biggest secret to someone that I know next to nothing about – twice, three, if you count Phil. I knew Matt and Phil wouldn't say anything to anyone about it, but what about Colby? I glanced over to see him mouthing the words to some song on the radio; I hadn't even bothered to pick a new station once we had gotten back in the truck. Can I really trust him with this secret? I kept thinking about this the entire way home, never saying a word. Was I regretting telling Colby this now, instead of later on?

"Hey, Scarlett. We're home. Are you okay? You were pretty silent again. Whatcha thinking about?" Colby asked as he parked the truck. We got out and I walked to the front door, fumbling with my keys the whole time. My friends always said I had more keychains and stuff than keys.

"I'm okay. Just ready to get this day over with," I told him as I unlocked my door. I walked in to see Tucker on the couch with a guy and they looked like they were pretty into each other.

"Oh my fucking God!" I exclaimed in mock horror. Tucker and the mystery man quickly disentangled from each other and Tucker shot off the couch, hastily pulling up his pants and reaching for his shirt. The other guy was doing the same and I couldn't help but laugh at them. Colby walked in behind me and rolled his eyes as he suppressed a laugh.

"So. Enjoying your Valentine's Day, Tucker?" Colby asked with a wicked grin on his face. I felt sorry for poor Tucker – his face had drained of all color and he looked as pale as Sheamus and Paige.

"Colby! Quit being mean to him." I said as I gave him a backhand to the chest. "Just go about your business, guys. We're going to my room. Come on, Colby." I took his hand and dragged him to my room.

"Hang on a minute, Scarlett." Tucker said finally. "Aspen was just about to leave."

"Yea. Sorry. Um, call me later, Tucker?" Aspen asked. Aspen was kind of cute – in that ironic hipster sort of way. He had light blonde hair that was supposed to be slicked back, but was instead a mess and pretty green eyes. He definitely had that hipster look of long and lanky, but he had some muscles going on there. Hmm. Not a bad choice, Tuck. Aspen put his shirt back on and put a pair of glasses on. Of course he would have glasses.

We watched as Tucker walked him to the door and told Aspen he would talk to him later. When he thought we weren't looking, Tucker kissed Aspen and waved as he watched him leave. Tucker closed the door and saw us standing there.

"Not . . . a . . . word," Tucker said through his teeth.

"Can I at least say he was cute?" I asked. That made Tucker blush and grin.

"Yes. You can say he was cute. I'm going to bed. Just don't be too loud, okay?"

"Oh, no you don't! You don't get away that easily, mister," I told him as I grabbed his hand to keep him from making his escape. I took him into the kitchen, where I sat the boys down and I got some coffee and cake that Brielle had made the other day.

"Tell us everything!" Colby gushed. That made Tucker and I roll our eyes at him.

"You first," Tucker said as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Uh, it wasn't much of a date," I confessed while slicing the cake. I put the plates down in front of the guys and sat down with my own piece.

"Why not?" Tucker wanted to know as he dug into his slice.

"She told me what happened all those years ago. We were on our way to a movie theater to watch a movie when she just shut down on me. I didn't know what was wrong, so I freaked out on her a little. That's when she pulled into a park and stormed off. I thought she was going to stay over there, so I followed her. That's when she told me what happened and I felt like an ass for yelling at her earlier. So, now we're here. Now it's your turn. Obviously, your date went better than ours," Colby said.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Scarlett. I keep forgetting how bad this holiday is for you sometimes," Tucker told me.

"It's okay," was my reply.

"As for my date, I guess it went alright. I went out to a bar, not expecting anything and Aspen comes up to me. We start talking and next thing you know, we're on the dance floor, putting everyone to shame."

I laughed as I remembered how good of a dancer Tucker was. He told me that he took dance lessons because he had convinced his parents that all the pro athletes took dance classes, which some of them did. He actually taught me a few dances, as well.

"After that, we stuck by each other. Turns out, he's a student at Full Sail. He's majoring in the um, what was it? Oh yea! He's doing something with video or whatever. Do you know he's actually working with WWE when they do their NXT shows? He actually helps run one of the cameras and I think he also works the Titantron for everyone," Tucker told us.

"Wait a minute. I think I know him. I remember seeing him one time when I was in NXT. I think it was when I became the first NXT champ," Colby remarked.

"So, it looks like all of us now have someone that is affiliated with WWE now, don't we, Tucker-man?" I laughed. That got a laugh out of Tucker and Colby.

"Guess we do. To having someone that works for one of the biggest empires on this face of this earth," Tucker toasted as he raised his coffee cup.

"To the WWE for bringing us together," I added.

"And may they never tear us apart," Colby added as well. We toasted to that and spent the rest of the night talking and laughing.

When the girls finally came home from their dates, I made more coffee and put out some more cake. Leave it to Brielle to make more than one cake. At one point, I hooked up my iPod to the sound system in the living room and we had a little dance party.

All in all, it was actually a good Valentine's Day. I felt better now that Colby knew my secret. The guys left later that night. Colby had to go do a house show while Mattias and Joe went back to their apartments. I went to sleep with a smile on my face.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: You Know Nothing, Jon Snow.**

 **February 17, 2014:**

"Ah, Miss Reed! Good to see you, Scarlett. Come in," Mark Carrano said. I stepped into an office at the Performance Center. I had just finished training for the day when Mark said he and Paul wanted to talk to me about something.

"Hey, Mark. Hey, Paul Forgive me for the smell," I said as I sat down in the chair across from him and Paul. I knew Mark from _Total Divas_ , and I really hoped that this was good news. I had only been training for about a month and I prayed that I wasn't about to get released now.

"It's fine. I've had worse and smelled worse," Paul joked. That eased my nerves a little bit as I waited for Paul or Mark to say something else.

"Ah, here he is now. Come in, Ray," Paul motioned for someone apparently named Ray. I looked up to see a guy with long curly brown hair, brown eyes and a red lollipop in his mouth. _Am I going to have to work with him?_ I thought with a little apprehension.

"Hey, guys! What's up?" Ray asked cheerfully. Well, he seems happy enough. He looked about the same age as one of my mom's friends that I hung out with once. He looked down at me and took the lollipop out of his mouth. "Hey. I'm Ray. What's your name?" He stuck out his hand and I thought I was going to shake it, but he kissed it instead. He had some weird accent, too. Didn't sound American or British or Australian. He released my hand and sat down in the chair next to me.

"I'm Scarlett. Nice to meet you, Ray," I replied.

"Okay, now that we have both of you here, we would like to talk to you," Paul started.

"Scarlett, you will be working with Ray here. We're going to debut a new persona for him, which he's already started working on. His name will be Adam Rose and he will have a group of people, mostly the developmental talent. They will be called the Rosebuds. Basically, Ray's new gimmick is that of a party boy and your job will be to . . . party with him, if you will. You will escort him out to the ring and you will escort him out of the ring as well. You will also be part of the promo packages that we will begin filming sometime in March," Mark told me. I looked at all three men and turned my attention back to Paul. It was written all over my face – a valet? This is exactly the type of thing I didn't want to do.

"I know what you're thinking, Scarlett. I know you said that you would want to be an equalizer of sorts, but I feel this is the best place for you to be right now. We are also looking at you being part of either my entrance at Wrestlemania or someone else's. Right now, you will be one of Adam's Rosebuds. You can still train here and once we feel you're ready, you will begin doing house shows as well as accompanying Adam to the ring. Like Mark said, you will also be part of Adam's promo videos. We will go over all that after NXT ArRival, which as you know is coming up very soon. I feel this is a great opportunity for you, Scarlett. So what do you say? Ready to join the party?"

I considered this for a while. While I wouldn't be actively involved in Ray's matches, I couldn't deny that this was a great opportunity. I mean, what if these promos Mark and Paul were talking about were for Ray's main roster debut? I could, by association, be on the main roster. I could be closer to Colby and the friends I've already made there. I just hope they give me more time in the ring than they did Eva and Arianne. I bit my lip as I thought and I was jerked out of my thoughts by Ray talking.

"I would love to work with you, Miss Scarlett. Hopefully, this new persona will work for everyone involved, but I can't do it without the help of everyone else. Maybe this will include you, as well. Please join the Rosebuds, Miss Reed."

I smiled at Ray as I replied,

"Well, when you put it like that, how could I say no? Mark, Paul, looks like I'm joining the party. Ray, I can't wait to work with you."

"Excellent! We will set up a meeting soon so Ray can work with all of you and you all can get to know each other better. Then we'll get started on the little things, such as the costumes that everyone will be wearing and your ring gear, Ray," Mark said.

"This will definitely be a good thing for everyone involved. Simply because my father-in-law isn't involved with NXT," Paul quipped.

"Mr. McMahon isn't involved?" I wanted to know. That could actually be a good thing. If Vince wasn't involved, that means NXT could potentially be the biggest thing since ECW. I just hoped that it wouldn't meet the same end that ECW did.

"Not at all. Why do you think there are so many of the NXT talent on the main roster, such as The Shield and the Wyatt Family? There's also the people from when NXT was a game show, such as AJ and Naomi. The point is, NXT is the future and I can't wait to showcase the future when ArRival begins. I believe in every single person that is signed to developmental and I hope to see all of you, if not most, on the main roster soon. As for how everyone else will react to it, well, that's for them to decide. Are there any questions?" Paul asked.

"Not at all," Ray and I said in unison. Mark and Paul stood up and we stood as well. We shook hands with each other before leaving. I was about to walk to my locker room when Ray stopped me.

"Thank you for agreeing to work with me, Miss Scarlett. I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," he said. I had to laugh at that.

"I can't wait to get to work, Ray. By the way, where are you from? You have an odd accent," I replied.

"I'm from South Africa. I actually worked with PJ (Justin Gabriel) for a while, both there and here when NXT was FCW. You've heard him talk before, right?"

"Not really. He didn't talk all that much when he was part of the Nexus or Corre. But that's good to know. I'm going to go ahead and go work out for a little since I'm done training for the day. One thing, though: you're not gonna have that lollipop in your mouth the whole time, are you?"

Ray took the lollipop out of his mouth and looked at it.

"Nope. It's just part of the persona, darling. I'll only have it when I go to the ring."

"What if you're not done with it? I mean, you can't just wrap it up and save it for later?" I knew that was a stupid question, but still – I had to know.

"Nah. I'll figure out what to do with this later when I start wrestling. Do you have any other questions?"

"Yea. Why didn't they like your old persona? What was wrong with it?"

"It wasn't them that had the problem with my old gimmick. I had a problem with it. I felt that, while I was good at it and the fans took to it, I wasn't going anywhere with it. So I pitched this idea to them and they okayed it. Maybe it'll work out, maybe it won't. We'll just have to see. One of these days, if the fans don't like the Adam Rose persona, I'll revive Leo Kruger. Looks like you have some research to do, Miss Reed," Ray told me.

"Looks like I do. It was great to meet you and I look forward to working with you and the other Rosebuds," I replied as I extended my hand. Ray took it and kissed it again.

He walked off and Saraya walked up to me.

"Hey, Saraya!" I exclaimed as I hugged her.

"Hey, Scarlett. What was that all about?" she wanted to know.

"Come on, walk and talk." We made our way to the workout room and started stretching out.

"So, why is Ray talking to you? What's going on?" Saraya asked.

"Well, I just had a meeting with Mark and Paul. Ray was part of the meeting and they are working on Ray's new persona. I'm to be part of it by being one of Adam's Rosebuds. I have to attend a meeting with them as well as the rest of the Rosebuds and then we get to work. Apparently, first up is ArRival, which I understand you've got a match set?"

"Yea, I do. I'm fighting Tennille for the Women's Championship. So, yay! We get to be there together. But seriously, I hope you don't get a stupid costume. I hope Miss Sandra makes you a nice one," Saraya replied.

"I hope so. I've seen the stuff she makes the other girls and I love it. After that, I'll be in his promo videos. Usually when they start creating promo videos for someone that means they're getting called up to the main roster soon. So I'll be on the main roster sooner than I thought, but I won't be wrestling just yet. Paul was also mentioning that I might get to be part of his Wrestlemania entrance or someone else's. I'm kinda hoping to be part of his. He always has the best entrances, next to John and Mark's."

"Wow. That's amazing. I can't wait to see you on the main roster, if you get to be there. What about wrestling, though?"

"I'll still be doing that. I can still train and stuff and once they feel I'm ready, I'll start doing the NXT house shows if I'm not accompanying Ray to the ring during his house shows. So looks like, right now, everything's coming up Scarlett," I told her with a smile.

We finished stretching out for a while before Saraya went to work out with some weights and I found a room with a mirror and a ballet barre. I smiled as I remembered my childhood taking ballet classes. I was a bit of an odd one – I took ballet as well as karate classes, and piano lessons. I stretched on the barre, doing my warmup routine by rote. After I warmed up, I plugged in my iPod to the sound system the room offered and began moving my body just to get it going.

I started dancing then to Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody." I liked this song and she had such an amazing voice. It was a shame that she passed away because of drugs.

" ** _Clock strikes upon the hour_**

 ** _And the sun begins to fade_**

 ** _Still enough time to figure out_**

 ** _How to chase my blues away_**

 ** _I've done alright up 'til now_**

 ** _It's the light of day that shows me how_**

 ** _And when the night falls_**

 ** _Loneliness calls_**

 ** _Oh! I wanna dance with somebody_**

 ** _I wanna feel the heat with somebody_**

 ** _Yeah! I wanna dance with somebody_**

 ** _With somebody who loves me_** "

I danced for a while until my body was sore. I was about to go turn off the sound system when I caught someone looking at me. I noticed the person in the mirror and turned to face them.

"Uh, hey. Do you need the room?" I asked.

"Uh, no. I heard music and just popped my head in here. What's your name?" the guy asked. He was a ginger, but he was actually a pretty cute ginger.

"I'm Scarlett. What's your name?"

"Rami. I know. I have a stupid name. I'm known as Sami Zayn in the ring, though and before that, El Genericó. Not ringing any bells?"

"Um, I don't think so. Unfortunately, I never watched much Ring of Honor or any indie wrestling, for that matter. I actually haven't even watched much of NXT since they stopped doing the game show version."

"So, you're mostly paying attention to the big leagues, huh?" Rami asked.

"Yep. Although now I guess I have to do some research on everyone here. Are there many of y'all from the indies besides the usual suspects?" I wanted to know.

"Not many, but I heard Paul is working on getting some more of the Ring of Honor guys to come over here. Word on the street is he's trying to get some of the New Japan guys to come here, too. Where are you from?"

"Atlanta. Believe it or not, I actually came straight out of a school because I lucked up in meeting someone. I hope that doesn't make you mad. I've heard some indie guys and girls work a long time without making it here and here comes someone fresh out of wrestling school."

"Nah, it's okay. You must have really impressed the brass in your tryout match for them to sign you right out of school. When was your tryout?"

"Er, last month, actually. They actually signed me that night. I'm still having trouble believing it myself," I told him with a small laugh. Rami smiled at me and I thought he had a really cute smile.

"Wow. You must really be impressive in the ring, then. So, now you're training here. I can't wait to see what you do in the ring one day," Rami told me.

"Maybe we can go at it one day. I'll have to take it easy on you, though," I warned teasingly.

"Oh, really now? Tomorrow. When you get here and after Sara trains you for the day, we'll go at it and see. Be warned, though. I won't take it easy on you, though."

"Bring it on. You won't be the first indie guy I've fought," I replied with a smirk.

"Hey, what's that song playing?"

I glanced up and cocked my head. I blushed at the song.

"Um, it's a One Direction song. It's called "C'mon, C'mon". Yes, I'm a Directioner, but not a crazy one, though," I told him.

"Oh, God. You listen to this stuff?" Rami said as he facepalmed.

"Yea, I do. I listen to a lot of stuff. Why? You don't like One Direction?"

"No. Never really heard of them. I'm more into ska and punk music."

"Oh, okay. Eh, I've tried ska before. Can't really get into it. Punk music, though, depends on who it is. I'm not too much into the old punk guys, but I guess I like some of the new stuff. Come on, give it a chance. Come dance with me?"

Rami looked at me like I was crazy, but he stepped inside the dance room anyways. I started the song over and Rami watched as I started dancing to the song. When he started dancing, I just about fell over laughing. He was such a dork while dancing that I stopped what I was doing and paused the music.

"Why'd you pause the music? I was getting into it!" Rami exclaimed.

"Because you look like a huge nerd dancing. Those are dad moves, dude. It's kind of funny, though," I told him once I stopped laughing. Rami couldn't help but smile.

"It's how we dance at ska concerts. So, that's how I dance. I know it's a little dorky, but come on. Not everyone can be a Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers," Rami replied. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. "Are you going to turn the music back on?"

"Maybe. If you let me show you how to dance."

"Fine."

I turned the music back on and I showed Rami how to dance. It took a while, but he got some steps down.

" _So c'mon, c'mon_

 _Move a little closer now,_

 _C'mon, c'mon,_

 _Ain't no way you're walkin' out_

 _C'mon, c'mon,_

 _Show me what you're all about,_

 _Yeah,_

 _I've been watching you all night,_

 _There's somethin' in your eyes_

 _To say, "C'mon, c'mon,_

 _And dance with me, baby."_

 _Yeah,_

 _The music is so loud,_

 _I wanna be yours now,_

 _So c'mon, c'mon,_

 _And dance with me, baby._ "

We danced for a few more songs, and Rami still did his kind of adorkable dance the entire time. It was cute, actually. When we finished dancing, I applauded.

"Not bad, Rami. You still look like a dork when you dance, though. A cute dork, but still a dork," I told him.

"Are you calling me a whale's penis?" Rami joked. I punched him lightly in the arm, but he still cried out in pain. At least, I thought I had hit him lightly.

"Sorry! Wasn't trying to hit you that hard!" I apologized, but Rami had a smile on his face.

"Kidding! I've had worse than that," he replied with a laugh.

"You ass." I rolled my eyes at him and that only made him laugh more.

"You know what?" Rami asked as we were leaving the dance room.

"What?"

"It's too bad that you're not single because you're gorgeous. And funny, and you seem to kick some ass, too. The complete package," Rami said. I ducked my head, but I couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from turning up.

"I can cook, too. If that helps," I told him.

"Damn. Yea, you are definitely the complete package."

"How'd you know I wasn't single?" I asked him.

"Colby told me. He's one of my good friends. He's really lucky to have someone like you, Scarlett." I looked up at him and grinned. _Actually, I'm the lucky one_ , I thought. Colby was off somewhere getting ready for the go-home show before the Elimination Chamber PPV, but he had called this morning to tell me that he missed me and that he was thinking about me. I missed him, as well.

Over the last few days, I found myself thinking about my relationship with Colby and where it was going. I could really see myself taking this further, but I just wanted him to open up to me. I still don't know that much about him and he wasn't saying much, either. He keeps telling me that the reason we haven't had much time to talk about anything was because of his schedule, but I keep thinking that it's bullshit. He gets days off and he doesn't have to come down here all the time, but it wouldn't kill him to at least Skype with me or something.

"Hey. Scarlett. Slow down, you're about to run into that door," I heard Rami say. I glanced up at him only to walk smack into the aforementioned door. I was about to fall down, like I always have, but Rami caught me before my ass could meet the ground.

"Fuck, that hurts," I groaned as I rubbed my arm and shoulder. Luckily, I didn't hit my face on the door and bust my lip like I did one time at school. Thankfully, no one was in the hall at the time I ran into the door.

"You alright?" he asked as he set me upright.

"Yea, I'm okay. My arm hurts like a bitch, though. Thanks for grabbing me. I have a tendency to fall on my ass whenever I run into something or someone," I replied with a laugh. That made Rami laugh and he replied,

"No problem. So there is one flaw with you. You're a little one-track minded, aren't you?"

"Some people say that's a good thing. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't," I pointed out. Rami nodded at that. I looked down to see that he still had his hands on my waist and I didn't mind it, for some reason. I wasn't full on attracted to Rami, but there was something about him that I liked. He was sweet, funny, a bit of a dork, but there was also something else. He seemed like he would be gentle with someone, but would also be a fierce protector of them, as well. Colby seemed the same way, but there was way too much I didn't know about him.

Rami looked down at his hands and pulled them away, apologizing. I waved off his apologies and told him that it was nice to meet him and that I looked forward to working with him. As I walked to the locker room to change out and shower, I was thinking about him. Rami seemed nice and I liked him, but I knew I couldn't do anything. For all I knew, he could have a girlfriend waiting for him like Matt did. I made a note to myself to get to know these men in my life better. Are they here for life or are they here to teach me a lesson?

Honestly, I never asked for any of them to come into my life the way they did. I thought I was just going to come here to be a Diva, but life has other plans for me, I suppose. I showered, changed and left the Performance Center, greeting the people that passed by me.

As I was driving home, I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. I knew better than to answer it, so I left it alone. However, whoever was trying to get in touch with me was persistent. I ignored it until I got home. As soon as I pulled into my driveway, the phone went off again. I cut the truck off and dug my phone out of my pocket. _Unknown number. 15 missed calls? And only one voicemail. What the hell is going on here?_ I thought.

Did Mama change her phone number? Because that's the only person I know that would call that many times and only leave one voicemail. I knew better than to miss too many calls from my mama because I would be in for a world of hurt if and when I finally did call her back.

I told her that I wouldn't be able to talk to her often because of training and she understood that. Maybe something happened at home, like my brother going to jail again or maybe someone died. I listened to my voicemail and was relieved that it wasn't my mother. However, it was someone I wasn't expecting to hear from – Jonathan Good. I gritted my teeth as I listened to the short but commanding voicemail.

 ** _"Scarlett, it's Jon. Good. Uh, call me back. Now. Bye."_**

Well, then. I debated on whether or not I should call him back, then decided what the hell. I called the number back and listened to it ringing out. I wasn't sure if Jon was going to pick up, seeing as how he had to do Raw tonight, but sure enough, I heard a drawling "Hello?" on the other end.

"You rang?" I said sarcastically.

"'Bout time you answer your damn phone," Jon replied gruffly.

"Fuck you. I was in a meeting and I had to train today. I didn't have time to answer your calls. What do you want that couldn't wait until after Raw or you coming here on a day off?"

"What we talked about last month. Your man Colby."

I growled at him.

"What about him? You have any more cryptic messages for me? You're lucky I didn't kick your ass last time," I snapped.

"Okay, if you're going to be a bitch, I'm going to hang up now," Jon replied.

"Fine. You're the one that called me anyway – 15 fucking times, to be exact, so hang up if you want to!"

"Wow. How can Colby stand you? You're so . . ."

"So what? You can call me whatever you want, Moxley. I've heard it all before."

"Moxley, huh? Well, okay, then. Do you want to know what I have to say or not?" Jon asked, a little calmer now.

I bit my lip as I debated on whether or not I wanna know.

"Wait until Sunday, Jon. I'll be up there then. For now, keep it to yourself," I said. Before he could reply, I hung up on him and went into the house. I threw down my bag and made my way into the kitchen, where I found some leftover pork chops and other stuff that Brielle had cooked the night before.

I was in the middle of eating when my phone rang again. I looked down and saw it was Jon. I hung my head and sighed as I picked up the phone.

"What do you want? I'm eating, Jon," I told him.

"You can eat and listen. I have to tell you something about Colby. It can't wait until Sunday."

"What? What is it? If you're going to tell me, do it Sunday, I told you. I don't want to hear it."

"Fine. I'll just show you. Once I figure out how to work this damn thing. I hate this phone," Jon complained.

"Not much of a tech person, are you? My stepdad's the same way," I replied, laughing at Jon's obvious distress.

"Joe and Colby made me get one. I haven't even put anything on here yet and I'm not going to, either," Jon grumbled. I rolled my eyes at him as he searched for whatever he was looking for. I continued eating until my phone rang, signaling a picture message.

"You know how to send pictures? I'm surprised," I told him sardonically.

"Ha ha. Your sarcasm is not lost on me. Look at the picture."

I opened it up to see a picture of Colby and another girl. They weren't kissing or anything, so I didn't see the problem. Maybe it was a fan of his that he met or a relative or a friend.

"Are you trying to piss me off, Jon?" I asked.

"No."

"Okay, then why send me this picture? It doesn't mean he has a girlfriend."

"That's the thing. I've seen pictures of them together. Colby's shown me the pictures."

"And? Your point being?" I had my fork in my hand and wished I could stab Jon with it. I settled for stabbing a piece of my pork chop.

"God, do I have to spell it out for you, Scarlett?" Jon groaned exasperatedly.

"You know what? You know nothing, Jon Snow."

"Huh? Look, never mind that. The point is, Scarlett, Colby's not the guy you think he is. I know him better than you do." Well, he certainly got that part right – he did know Colby better than I did.

"Again. You know nothing, Jon Snow. I'm hanging up now." I hung up and slammed my phone down on the table. Thankfully, I had an Otter Box covering it or I would have cracked the screen again. I finished eating my food before throwing the bones away and putting my plate in the sink.

I walked to my room to change clothes and back into the living room to watch _Raw_ with my friends. I explained everything to them and even showed them the picture Jon had sent me.

"What is Jon trying to say with this picture? That Colby might have a girlfriend? It looks old to me, so maybe it's an ex?" Brielle asked during a commercial break.

"I don't know. I'm pissed off at Jon for doing this. I told him I'd talk to him Sunday before the pay-per-view," I replied. I was mad at Jon, not just for doing what he did, but also for putting that little seed of doubt in my mind. Was this the thing that Colby didn't want to tell me about?

"The next time I see Mr. Ambrose, I'm gonna punch him in the junk," Willow snapped.

"Easy, killer. I'll talk to Jon on Sunday. Okay? The problem is, how do I bring this up to Colby without making him mad at me or Jon?"

"This is going to sound really stupid, but I don't think you should. It could be Jon's just trying to get a rise out of you, or maybe he wants you all to himself and he's doing this so that you and Colby will break up and he can comfort you," Tucker pointed out. We all looked at him in confusion.

"You think Jon wants Scarlett? He wants every girl! Why is she any different?" Willow wanted to know.

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "Not cool, dude."

"You know I didn't mean it like that, Scarlett."

"Okay. Still. Not cool."

"Because," Tucker said. "She's Scarlett. She's just like her namesake."

"Yea, but Scarlett O'Hara knew what she was doing and did it on purpose. I'm not doing anything on purpose. Never have, except maybe wrestling. I'm not saying I know how to flirt, I just don't think it's that obvious when I'm doing it. I'm being friendly. Trust me, y'all know if and when I flirt," I pointed out.

"We know that, but still. Maybe there's something about you that Jon likes and that's why he's doing this. I mean, he wouldn't have pissed you off like that if he didn't want you somehow," Brielle added.

"Hmm. I guess you're right. I wasn't expecting to get pissed off at him, but he makes me so goddamn mad sometimes! He better not piss me off on Sunday or I'm punching him," I told them. They laughed, but they knew that I was serious.

I don't want Jon to get under my skin like this, but he does. I hated that. He was, for all I knew, crazy as his on-screen character. I needed to make a point to talk to him Sunday, preferably not when Colby was around.

I sat watching the rest of the go-home show with equal parts sullenness and interest. I was particularly interested in the main event where the Wyatt Family cost The Shield the last three spots in the Elimination Chamber championship match.

"That should definitely set up a match between those six. I've been waiting to see that match for a while now," I said when _Raw_ had gone off.

"I know, right? I can't wait to see them tear each other apart. I hope The Shield wins their match on Sunday," Willow said. Brielle and Tucker agreed with her. I started yawning then and shook my head.

"Oh, before I go to bed, I just want to say that I have a new job," I announced.

"Really? What is it?" they wanted to know.

I explained the meeting I had earlier today and when I got done, they congratulated me.

"I really hope this Adam Rose guy gets called up soon to the main roster, then. I know you wouldn't be doing much, but still. You'll be on the main roster!" Willow exclaimed happily. I knew she would be excited for me because hell, she was the one that encouraged me to do this in the first place.

"Y'all do know that if he does get called up to the main roster, that I'll have to go with him? That means I won't be here as often as I am right now. When he starts working the NXT house shows, I won't be here as much, either," I pointed out.

"Yea, we know. You knew this would happen when you started this and now you have to deal with it. We'll be fine here, okay?" Tucker told me as he squeezed my hand. I smiled at them and hugged all of them.

"Oh, don't forget you'll be closer to Colby, too," Brielle said with a grin.

"And Jon. You can punch him as much as you like," Willow added. That made all of us laugh.

I also told them about meeting Rami today and they cautioned me against trying to flirt with him. I gave them my word I wouldn't do that because I didn't feel that kind of attraction towards him and that all I wanted was Colby, no matter what Jon said or did. I was feeling tired and made a mental note to start going to bed earlier so I wouldn't be tired in the morning. Old habits die hard, I guess.

I got up and walked to my room. Just before I got in there, Willow stopped me.

"I still can't believe you used a _Game of Thrones_ reference on Jon," she said. I smiled at her and replied,

"Well, he is a bastard for being a dick to me. As for him being an actual bastard, I don't know. And he doesn't know anything. He may know Colby better than I do, but he doesn't know anything. I don't know why he's doing what he's doing, but he needs to stop before Colby gets pissed off at him. I know I said that Colby would be the one to turn his back on The Shield, but I don't want it to be because of personal issues; I want it to be something like he joins the Authority or some crap like that. Not because of me or Jon."

"I know. We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"

"Wait and see. I hate that phrase. Nothing ever good ever comes out of waiting and seeing if the other shoe will drop. I had enough of that with Kai. I won't do it with Colby."

"I know. I don't want you doing it, either, but in this case, you have to. Goodnight, Scarlett," Willow said as she hugged me.

"Goodnight," I replied as I returned the hug.

I went into my bedroom and closed the door. I laid my phone down on my nightstand as I got into bed. I rubbed my face as I tried to clear my head of everything that had happened today, both good and bad.

Life right now is certainly a roller coaster, and I haven't been on the ride for long. I was not looking forward to the next twist or turn, but I knew I had to face it head on, no matter who or what it was. I could only hope that it wouldn't send my heart into my throat or down into my stomach.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic**

 **February 23, 2014:**

 **Elimination Chamber PPV**

I was just about to go find Colby when I felt someone's hand grab my wrist. I was about to turn around and punch whoever it was in the face when I saw it was Jon. I decided to go ahead and punch him anyway, but he blocked it easily.

"Damn. Someone's feisty today," Jon said with a smirk.

"Dude, I'm not in the fucking mood, okay? I only got like 3 hours of sleep on the plane and I got my monthly gift. So don't fuck with me today or I _will_ put you on the floor. Got it?" I snapped. Jon released my hand and threw his up in surrender. He still had that stupid smirk on his face, though.

"Don't worry about it, darling. Since you were so kind as to come here today, you wanna go somewhere and talk? Since you hung up on me and used a pop culture reference as well? And I'm not a bastard," Jon replied.

"Oh, yes you are. Why did you send me that picture, Jon? What's your endgame here?" I asked, crossing my arms.

Jon looked around backstage to make sure no one was listening in.

"Not here. Come on," he said, extending his hand out to me. I slapped it away and motioned for him to walk.

"So, up until now, I've been experiencing happy-go-lucky Scarlett?" Jon teased. I glared at him.

"I've got a long fuse, but be careful not to light it because it burns very quickly," I warned him.

"Uh-huh. So we're more alike than you think, darling. I have a very fast-burning fuse, as well. Maybe we'll both explode one day and it will be glorious."

"If you think I'm gonna end up in bed with you, you are sadly mistaken, Jonathan." I looked over to see that he was glowering at me and I smiled, pleased that I had gotten under his seemingly thick skin.

" _Don't_ call me Jonathan again, got it?"

"Or what? You've already pissed me off by trying to insinuate that Colby is either cheating on me or with me for some stupid reason. Are you trying to steal me away from your brother? Don't you know that that's against the bro code? Bros before ho's, dude," I told him.

"So you're a ho, then? And no. I don't want you, although. . ."

"Although, what?" I snapped.

Jon said nothing; he just kept walking with a smirk on his face. I growled low in my throat at him and it made him laugh. Finally, we reached our destination, which was a locker room. Thankfully, it was empty.

"Answer my question, Jon. Although what?" I said as we entered the locker room. Jon stepped closer to me and pushed a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I smacked his hand away.

"If I wanted you. . ." He leaned close to whisper the rest in my ear. ". . . I could have you, no matter what code there is."

I looked at him with wide eyes and then proceeded to bitch slap him. I got him full in the face and it actually made him stagger back a little. I had no time to rejoice in my actions when Jon stood up laughing and walked towards me until my back was against the lockers. He stood so close to me that I could see the storm brewing in his bright blue eyes. I thought he was either going to hit me or kiss me and I braced myself for either or both.

Instead, I got a grin from him. I mentally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You are certainly a little firecracker, Scarlett. It's too bad Colby took an interest in you first, because if he hadn't, I would be the one showing you the time of your life," Jon told me. I swallowed as I picked my hand up to hit him again, but he was anticipating it. Jon took it and put it up against the lockers and did the same to my other hand.

"I can still hit you, you know," I told him.

"I know. That's why I'm gonna do this." He pinned the rest of my body up against the lockers with his and I had to suppress a groan that I wasn't aware I wanted to let out. His body against mine felt like fire and I didn't want to get burned. This is not good. Not good at all.

"What if I head-butt you? Then what?" I asked him as calmly as I could, trying to ignore the fire that was his body against mine.

"I could kiss you to stop you. But Colby wouldn't like that, now would he?"

"No. He wouldn't. Neither would I," I whispered.

"You don't know that. For a pessimist, I'm pretty optimistic," he replied with another grin. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yea, keep being optimistic because you're not getting anything from me, _Jonathan_ ," I told him, making sure to lay the emphasis on his full name.

It was his turn to growl at me and I laughed.

"So, you are a hound, after all," I joked, trying to keep my mind off the fact that his body was really fucking close to mine. I do have to admit that he looked pretty damn good in his Shield gear.

"I may be a Hound, but I was raised by wolves. You do know how wolves claim their mates, right?" Jon whispered in my ear.

"Yea, but a Hound already has me. You need to get the fuck off me, Jon, before Colby or someone else walks in."

As if on cue, the door opened and in walked Colby, of all fucking people. _Speak of the devil and he shall appear_ , I thought.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Colby asked angrily. Jon released me then and I bitch slapped him again on the other cheek. I walked over to Colby where he embraced me.

"You okay?" he whispered as he held my chin in his hand. I smiled at him and replied,

"I am now. Your brother's a dick."

"I know he is. Why did he have you pinned up against the lockers? Jon, you weren't about to fuck her, were you?"

Jon had straightened up then and was making his way over to us.

"Why would I fuck my brother's girl? That's against the bro code, don't you know?" Jon told him in a mocking tone. I glared at him and he grinned.

"Okay, but that still doesn't answer my question. Why did you have my girlfriend pinned up against the lockers?"

Girlfriend? Well, then. Jon certainly perked up at that word and he took the opportunity to pounce on it.

"Your girlfriend, huh? We were arguing. She got a little feisty with me, so I pinned her up against the lockers to stop her. What was I supposed to do, let her hit me? I need to be in fighting shape for our match tonight. By the way, I showed her a picture of you the other day."

I looked up at Colby, who had seemingly gone pale. Why would he freak out about the picture? Unless it was a girlfriend back home or an ex that he hadn't quite gotten over? Damn you, Jon, for putting that doubt in my mind. Damn you to the deepest pits of hell and may the Others take you.

"What – what picture?" Colby asked as he held me tighter to him. The last time he did that, he and Phil were arguing. Oh, fuck.

"You know the one that you sent me? That one. Don't worry, bro. Scarlett didn't believe me. Good work, Lopez," Jon said as he walked out laughing.

When he left, Colby looked down at me with wide eyes.

"He was just trying to get a rise out of me. I don't care how many pictures he sends me, I won't run away from you. I want you, Colby. Okay?" I told him as I laid my hand on his chest.

Weird. His heart was beating ninety to nothing, as if he had just come from a hard workout. Was he guilty? I swear I'm going to hurt Jon for doing this to me. He's got me doubting Colby now and I hated it. However, my words seemed to calm him down because his heartbeat gradually slowed.

"I know, Scarlett. I'm not even sure why he sent that picture to you. It's old and she doesn't mean anything to me anymore. Just you, okay?"

Colby leaned down to kiss me on the lips softly. I returned the kiss and went back down on the balls of my feet.

"Come on. Time for you to go kick some Wyatt ass," I told him. That made him laugh as we walked out of the locker room hand in hand. I walked with him to the elevator that would take him and the guys to the top of the crowd for their entrance.

"Good luck, guys!" I called out as I walked away. I made my way to gorilla so I could watch the action unfold on the TVs that were set up backstage.

I sat on a crate, greeting the people that passed through, whether they were the wrestlers, the refs or the producers. I even had a long talk with Joey Mercury, who actually helps train The Shield. At one point, I walked around the arena until I found Miss Sandra working on some of the wrestlers' gear.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Um, yes. My name's Scarlett Reed. I'm, uh, part of NXT – or I will be soon. I'm also supposed to be working with. . ."

"Ah, yes. I remember. Paul and Mark wanted me to meet with you to go over some ideas for your costume that you'll be wearing in a few weeks. We can do that now while the show is going on. Come sit down," she said. I sat down in a chair next to her while she got out her sketchpad and tape measure. She took my measurements and then we proceeded to talk about my ideas. I loved talking to her – she took no bullshit, but she was as sweet as a peach. Not only did I have a costume to wear with the Rosebuds, but she also had some designs laid out for my ring gear whenever I started doing house shows.

"Thank you so much, Miss Sandra. I've seen you on _Total Divas_ before and I have to say, I loved you. You're sassy but sweet. No wonder the girls love you," I told her when we got done with our meeting. Miss Sandra smiled at me and gave me a hug.

"Thank you for that, Miss Reed. I will be glad to work with you soon. I love those girls too. They're like my own daughters. Now you need to get somewhere and let me work, missy." I laughed as I gave her another hug and walked off to go find another TV set. Hopefully, The Shield's match was up soon and I really hoped that they won.

I found one just in time to see them coming down the ramp. They looked ready to go against the Wyatt Family. I watched the match in earnest, yelling at the TV as they went at it. They fought long and hard, but in the end, the Wyatts prevailed. I was disappointed in them, but I knew they would always have tomorrow if they felt like it.

They came backstage, limping and defeated.

"Hey, guys. I saw what happened out there. Y'all okay?" I asked. I knew they weren't okay, but still. They were about to answer when Renée Young came up to them and asked about their match for the WWE App.

"Guys, your match with the Wyatts ended in a loss. Do you have any thoughts on that?" Renée asked. She held the microphone up to Jon where he replied,

"Do I have any thoughts on that? I wanna tear them limb from limb! Those Wyatts have been begging us to follow the buzzards for months now. Well, too damn bad. The Hounds don't follow anyone."

"Believe that," Joe said to end the interview. They walked off and the cameraman cut the camera off.

"Having fun with that?" I asked her. Renée looked up at me and smiled.

"Actually, yes. I am. What are you doing back here?" she asked.

"Just hanging out, actually. I'm Scarlett," I replied as I held out my hand. She shook it and said,

"I'm Renée. So what's up with you? Are you working for us or the arena?"

"Y'all. Well, I just started, actually. I came up here to watch the pay-per-view. Tomorrow, I head back to the Performance Center to train. What about you? Are you just the interviewer or do I get to wrestle against you soon?"

"I don't wrestle. I'm just the interviewer. I'm actually supposed to be commentating the ArRival event on Thursday. Will you be working then?"

"Nope. I don't make my debut until March. I'm part of the Exotic Express now. I'm kind of excited about that," I told her.

"Cool. Hey, wanna go get some food? I'm starving and these heels are killing me!" Renée exclaimed as she slipped off her heels. I got off my crate and walked with her to catering. She was from Canada, which was cool. She hadn't been into WWE for a while, but now that she was working here, she was slowly getting back into it. I asked her about how her job worked and she asked about mine.

We made it to catering, talking about whatever was on TV when Jon and Colby walked up to us.

"Hey guys! Where's Joe?" I asked. Colby took a Dorito out of my bag and munched down on it while Jon sidled up to Renée, clearly flirting with her. Well, at least I won't have to deal with him.

"He's calling his little girl at home," Colby replied.

"Aww. He's got a little girl?"

"Yea. She calls me Uncle Jon. JoJo is a cute little girl," Jon told me.

"JoJo?"

"Her full name is Joelle, but Joe and his girl call her JoJo, so there ya go. And to answer your question, no I'm not okay. I can't believe we lost that damn match," Jon said angrily. He grabbed a sandwich off the table and bit down on it like he wanted to bite someone.

"Relax, Jon. We do have a rematch against them tomorrow. We'll get them," Colby told him as he took some more chips out of my bag.

"Dude. Do you want to finish this bag?" I asked sarcastically while holding the bag out to him. Colby shrugged and took the bag. I gave him a "really?" look and shook my head as I got another bag off the table. Renée spent a few more minutes with us until her camera guy came to get her for another interview. She told us goodbye and kissed Jon before leaving.

"So you're dating Renée?" I asked once she was out of earshot.

"Not really. We're just having fun right now. Kinda like you two," Jon replied with a smirk.

"We're not having fun with each other," Colby told him.

"Trouble in paradise already, huh? Damn. Too bad," Jon said.

"We're in a relationship with each other. We're not friends with benefits, Jon. Besides, we haven't even had sex yet. So get all those ridiculous thoughts about us out of your thick skull," I snapped. I wanted to smack him again, but he either might like it or get really pissed off at me. Thankfully, Joe showed up just then.

"Hey, Scarlett. What's up?" Joe asked as he hugged me.

"Arguing with your brother. He's being a dick again," I told him as I returned the hug.

"Jon, must you scare away every girl?" Joe teased.

"Renée's still here, ain't she?" Jon drawled. He took another bite out of his sandwich.

"Yea, she is."

"How's JoJo?" Colby asked.

"She's good. She wants to see her Uncle Jon and Uncle Colby soon, though. Maybe she can meet Aunt Scarlett, as well," Joe said as he looked at me.

"Aww, really? I would love to meet the little Pup of Justice," I told him with a laugh. That made the guys laugh and Joe took his phone out and showed me a picture of her.

"Aww! She's so cute! She's definitely got her daddy's long hair. I bet she's gonna be a little heartbreaker when she grows up. Just like her daddy," I said with a wink.

"She better be breaking hearts, otherwise I'm gonna be breaking some faces," Joe replied seriously.

"Same here for us. No one's messing with JoJo, not as long as we're around," Jon added. I had to grin at that.

"You're so hell-bent on pissing me off, but you'll do anything to make sure JoJo doesn't get hurt?" I wanted to know.

"That's about the gist of it, yea. I'm gonna go get a shower. See y'all later," Jon said as he threw his sandwich wrapper away. He walked off and when he had his back turned, I made the motion of throttling him. Joe laughed at me.

"Why is he pissing you off?" he wanted to know. I was about to open my mouth when Colby held up his hand.

"I'll tell him. Basically, Jon's trying to say that I'm cheating on Scarlett or with her. He sent her a picture of me and Leighla that was really old. I told her I didn't want Leighla anymore, and that she didn't mean anything to me anymore. I guess she believes me. I caught them in the locker room earlier today. Jon had her pinned up against the lockers and I couldn't tell if he was going to try and kiss her, fuck her or hit her. Luckily, he didn't do anything because Scarlett smacked the shit out of him when he let her go."

Joe listened to this as he drank his water and I watched his face. He knows about this Leighla woman, as well. What does he think about this? I'd have to get him alone and ask him, but he seemed like the type to stay out of stuff like this.

"Uh-huh. Do you, Scarlett? Believe Colby?" he asked. He couldn't have been more than four or five years older than me, but he sounded like a father. Guess having JoJo made him look at the world a little differently.

"I do, Joe. So, what are you guys gonna do now?" I wanted to know.

"Head to the next arena. Are you going to be there?" Colby asked.

"Nah. I'm gonna watch it on TV. I have to get ready for ArRival and my debut next Thursday. It's not quite a Diva's debut, but I'll take it."

"Are you someone's valet or something?" Joe asked.

"Sorta. I'm to be part of Adam Rose's Exotic Express as one of the Rosebuds."

"Will you still be able to train and stuff?"

"Yea. I can train and once they think I'm ready, I can start doing the house shows. So I'm ready to go."

"Don't rush it. You'll be with us soon enough. Right now, just enjoy your time in NXT and keep training. Okay?" Joe said with a smile. I returned his smile as I replied,

"I know. I will. Okay. I don't know if the show is over, so I'm gonna check a TV real quick and then I think I'm going to head home."

I walked off to find a TV, where the show was wrapping up. Instead of the winner of the Elimination Chamber match holding the belts, it was the Wyatts standing/kneeling as a prone John Cena laid before them. So Bray is going after Cena now? That should be very interesting to watch. I was watching the end of the show when I saw Joe walk by me. I grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Hey. I need to talk to you about something," I said as I released his arm.

"I know what you wanna talk about. I was actually coming to look for you. It's about what Colby said earlier, isn't it?" Joe said.

"Yea. It is. I do believe him, but Jon is so good at putting doubt into someone. I'm starting to question it. I know you seem like the type to stay out of stuff like this, but I need to know. Is Colby telling the truth, or do I need to talk to him about this Leighla woman?"

"What do you think?"

"I don't know what to think. That's the problem. The picture might not be that old. He might be still dating her and I'm the other woman or maybe she's an ex and I'm just a distraction for him," I confessed. Why did Jon have to do this? Why couldn't he just leave well enough alone? What is his problem with me?

"I honestly wish I knew what to tell you, Scarlett. I don't really hang out with Colby as much as Jon does. I don't know why Jon is doing this, but if he keeps going, he's going to screw us all over. I don't want that. My only piece of advice is don't trust Jon, and just watch Colby. If he starts acting weird, then you need to talk to him. Just remember this: you might not like the answers you find."

Joe walked off, leaving me with more questions than answers. Maybe Joe was trying to warn me off as well, but I knew he wouldn't do anything stupid like Jon did. I ran my hands through my hair as I thought about what Joe said.

 _Don't trust Jon. Okay, that was easy enough. Watch Colby and see if he starts acting weird. Acting weird how? That was the question. Well, he was already acting odd when he had a vise grip on me when he argued with Phil and then again with Jon. He's also jealous, although that jealousy only showed up when Phil was around. He's not around now, though. I might not like the answers I find. Why not? Is Colby using me? Am I just a distraction for his broken heart?_

All of these thoughts and more raced through my mind as I headed home. Why am I questioning Colby? I should be trying to build my relationship with him. Instead, I'm wondering whether or not he's using me. _Please don't let him turn out to be another Kai_ , I thought. _I couldn't handle another Kai._

I made it home around 2am. I had to stop flying out to go to shows. I was going to hurt myself by trying to keep up with them. I couldn't sleep, so I stayed up, watching Netflix and listening to music in between shows. I laughed as I found the song that Jon had mentioned earlier. Well, he hadn't really mentioned it, but I thought it was funny, so I listened to Paramore's "For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic".

" ** _Just talk yourself up_**

 ** _And tear yourself down_**

 ** _You've hit your one wall_**

 ** _Now find a way around_**

 ** _Well what's the problem?_**

 ** _You've got a lot of nerve_**

 ** _So what did you think I would say?_**

 ** _No you can't run away, no you can't run away_**

 ** _So what did you think I would say?_**

 ** _No you can't run away, no you can't run away_**

 ** _You wouldn't_** "

I found that song odd. Then again, bands have a way of having weird song titles that don't fit the lyrics. After that song was over, I kept skipping through songs until I landed on a song with lyrics that I thought fit the situation at hand: Stereo Skyline's "A Little More Us".

" _A little more rock a little less roll_

 _A little more new a little less old_

 _A little bit of faith a little bit a trust_

 _A little bit of never giving up,_

 _A little bit of you, a little bit of me_

 _A little less them a lot more we_

 _Just a little more us_

 _Just a little more us_

 _Tonight_ "

I hadn't noticed the sun rising until I heard my alarm on my phone going off. I turned off my music and computer and slowly got out of bed, regretting staying up all night. I made my way through my morning routine with a cup of coffee nearby at all times until I had drunk an entire pot. I left a few minutes later, still tired from pulling an all-nighter. I suppose it was practice for when I did get on the main roster. Not everyone could have a bus like John and Randy.

 ** _(Author's note: Sorry for the lame ending of this chapter! I ran out of ideas for this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed reading it! I will probably go back later and put some more into this chapter and make the ending a little better.)_**


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Roar of the Crowd**

 **February 27, 2014:**

 **NXT ArRival**

Holy crap. Why am I nervous? I don't even debut until next week! I was standing backstage at Full Sail University, watching all the students and the WWE crew get ready for ArRival tonight. It was definitely chaotic backstage because not only was WWE getting ready for tonight, the students were going back and forth to and from their classes. Some had stopped to talk to the wrestlers and producers. Hell, I even got stopped by a couple of students. I made my way to the part of the school that was supposed to hold the ring and the bleachers for tonight, where I saw Aspen setting up some of the tech stuff.

"Hey, Aspen!" I called out. He looked up and grinned at me, then went back to work. I walked around until I found the bleachers. I took a seat on the front row and watched the guys set up the ring.

"Hey, Scarlett. What's up?" Aspen said as he neared the barrier. I looked up at him and smiled.

"Hey! Nothing, really. Just watching y'all set up. I'm getting kind of excited for this. But this is old hat for you, isn't it?"

"Sort of. But it is exciting, especially because it's being advertised as the arrival of the future. Are you wrestling tonight?" Aspen wanted to know.

"Not for a while. I will be here next week, though, as part of the Exotic Express. Maybe this time next year, I'll be here wrestling for the NXT Women's Championship. So how are you and Tucker?"

Aspen had been coming around a lot lately and I was so happy to see Tucker happy with someone. Just the mention of Tucker made Aspen blush and grin like a dork.

"Ah, so going strong, still, huh? That's good to hear. He likes you a lot, you know that, right?" I told him.

"I know. I like him a lot, too. Is he coming tonight?"

"You should already know that," I replied as I stuck my tongue out at him.

"I know. I just wanted to make sure. Okay, I gotta go. See you later!" Aspen said as he left to go finish setting up for tonight. He left and I got up to go backstage.

I spent a little bit of time backstage talking to everyone, and when it was almost showtime, I made my way into my seat, which just so happened to be next to John Cena.

"Hey, kid. What's up?" John asked as he hugged me. My inner fangirl was freaking out so bad, but I had to keep calm.

"I'm not a kid, but nothing much. Ready for the show tonight. You're looking mighty fine tonight. Where's Nikki?" I wanted to know.

"She has some press thing to do tonight. I'm definitely ready for the show tonight. I can't wait to help bring in the future. I do want to face these guys in the ring one day, too," John said. Ever the opportunist, but I could see where he was coming from. He might not have that long in the company, no matter what Vince wanted from him and if anyone wanted to make a name for themselves in this business, they had to go through John.

"Well, I'm sure these guys want to face you too. Like Ric Flair said, "To be the man, you gotta beat the man." And right now, John, you're the man."

"Yes, he is," a male voice said. I looked up to see none other than Ric Flair himself with his daughter, Charlotte. My eyes widened at the sight of the legend standing in front of me. I shot up out of my seat and stumbled all over my words until Charlotte calmed me down.

"Scarlett, relax. It's just my dad," she joked.

"Just your dad? Ashley, this is the man! The legend! I mean, my mom has a picture of him when he first started wrestling. We all grew up with him. It is an honor to meet you, sir," I said as I shook his hand. Ric pulled me close into a hug and replied,

"Thank you very much. I understand you're working with my daughter. Hopefully, you're both giving each other a run for your money. Hey, do you wanna come get a drink with us later? John, that means you, too."

"Dad, leave her alone. You know we have to train tomorrow," Ashley told him, smacking her father's chest. She had a smile on her face, though. I'm not sure I wanna go drinking with Ric Flair. I mean, I can hold my liquor, but I doubt I could keep up with him.

"Your daughter's right, Mr. Flair. We do have training tomorrow. I don't think Sara and Bill want us coming into work hungover," I said.

"Don't call me Mr. Flair. Call me Ric. Maybe one day we can get together. John, you should bring Nicole, too," Ric said.

"I don't know. I don't think you wanna see Nicole drunk," John teased.

"Come on, Dad. Let's go sit down. Show's about to start," Ashley said, pulling her father towards his seat. They sat down next to John and we settled in to watch the show. My friends joined us just in time for the lights to go down.

"I'm so ready for this!" Willow whispered excitedly.

"We all are. Shush it!" I told her.

The lights started flashing then and we saw Paul come to the ring. I bet he was incredibly happy to see this happen. I know he had NXT going for almost two years now, but the fact that more people were going to see the future happening now had to make him feel good.

"Are you ready?!" Paul shouted. We cheered loudly and I was pretty sure the students that were still here could hear us.

"No! I said. . . ARE. . . YOU. . . READY?!" We cheered even louder and Paul said,

"Get ready. The future . . . has arrived."

They cut to the TitanTron and the theme song started up.

" _The roar of the crowd_

 _Stomp your feet to the ground_

 _Give it all to me now_

 _'Cause you called for me, called for me_

 _Awake to the sound_

 _To the screams getting loud_

 _Give it all to me now_

 _'Cause you called for me, called for me_ "

"Welcome to NXT ArRival! We are live from Full Sail University!" Byron Saxton announced.

Byron and the other announcers talked back and forth for a little while until it was time for the first match. It was Cesaro versus Sami Zayn. I had been watching some older episodes of NXT and was very impressed by the last match these two men put on. The announcers remarked on the rivalry that Claudio and Rami had in the ring as the two men made their way to the ring.

We watched them fight long and hard, but in the end, Claudio had won. In a show of sportsmanship, he picked Rami up, giving him a hug and telling him that he had fought a good match. At least, that's what I think he was telling him. I was especially impressed by the Divas' match that Tennille and Saraya had put on. They went for longer than 3 or four minutes and they certainly gave each other all they had. Saraya ended up retaining her title, though. Brielle cheered very loudly when Joe came out for his match against Mojo Rawley and even though he lost, she still clapped for him. As he was leaving the ring, she got his attention and he grinned at her, sending her into a fit. During Mattias's match, Willow cheered and clapped as he put away his opponent.

"How do you stand someone like that?" I wanted to know after the match. "I know Mattias doesn't act like that in real life, but still. Most guys like that end up getting slapped in the face."

"Hey, not everyone can be part of The Shield and the first NXT Champion," Willow retorted. I rolled my eyes and stuck out my tongue at her, making her laugh.

"I'm sure he'll be the next champion after this match. I can't believe they're having a ladder match! Those are always fun to watch," Brielle exclaimed happily.

"They are and I can't wait to see this match. I've heard Adrian Neville is like a British Evan Bourne. That should be interesting to watch," Tucker remarked.

At one point during the show, the camera panned over to John, Ric and Ashley. Then, after multiple matches, including one with a tag team called The Ascension that I happened to like, it was time for the main event. Adrian Neville came out first to the delight of the crowd. He got in the ring and waited for the champion, Bo Dallas. When Bo came out, the crowd started booing. I was confused as to why and then he showed me. With his whole "BoLieve" gimmick, it was annoying as hell to most people, but I found it hilarious. My friends even laughed at him as he ran around the ring. The announcers were talking about how he was the longest reigning NXT Champion, coming in at 284 days. That was a very impressive title reign.

We watched as Bo and Adrian fought for almost 30 minutes. At one point, Adrian performed this brilliant shooting star press the announcers called Red Arrow on Bo. Finally, after a long match, Adrian had climbed the ladder to claim his championship. It wasn't without a challenge from Bo, though. Bo tried to push him off the ladder, but Adrian wasn't having it. Adrian got him off the ladder and grabbed his championship.

Then, all too soon, it seemed, the show was over. I exchanged hugs with John, Ric and Ashley and promised Ric I would join the three of them for drinks as soon as I could. My friends met with them and were starstruck, natch. We made our way backstage, where Tucker immediately set off to find Aspen. Brielle and Willow were with Joe and Mattias, so that left me by myself. I was playing on my phone when I saw someone's shadow fill my view. I looked up to see Rami standing in front of me.

"Hey, Rami. I saw your match. You fought well," I told him as I hugged him.

"Thanks. I think I did pretty good out there, but I wish I had won that match. Oh well, there's always next time," Rami replied.

"Yes, there is. So wanna hang out for a bit? All my friends have abandoned me," I mock whined. Rami laughed at that before nodding.

"Sure. Let's go." We hung out backstage for a little while, and when my friends finally decided to join us with their significant others, Aspen suggested we go to Steak 'N' Shake to finish out the night.

"Steak 'N' Shake? Hey, Scarlett, remember?" Willow asked.

"Oh, god, do I ever. We would always go to Steak 'N' Shake after her softball games with the team and after football games with our boyfriends and some of my friends from marching band. It took forfuckingever to get our food, but it was well worth the wait," I said to our little group.

"When we weren't freezing our asses off!" Tucker exclaimed.

"Yea, what he said. When we got to Atlanta, we found one and took these two there. I could never finish my food, though. Those damn shakes would fill me up before my food ever got there," I said with a laugh.

"Duh! They only come in one size!" Brielle shouted.

I had driven Brielle, Tucker and Willow, so they decided to go with their boyfriends, so that left me driving with Rami.

"Did you come with someone?" I asked him when we had gotten into my truck. Rami put his bags into the backseat and climbed in.

"Uh, I came with Claudio. You can just drop me off at my apartment when we get done eating," he said.

"Ah, okay. You did tell him you were leaving, right?"

"I tried, but he was too busy making out with Sara to pay much attention, so I texted him."

"Cool. So, ready to get some food?"

"Let's do it."

I drove to a Steak 'N' Shake that was surprisingly close to Full Sail. I pulled into the parking lot and waited for my friends to pull up.

"So how are you and Colby doing?" Rami asked while we were waiting.

"We're good. I guess. Jon was trying to start some bullshit with us on Sunday, but we smoothed everything over," I told him. In truth, Colby and I weren't all that good. I had gotten into a fight with him yesterday.

 _"Really? You're starting to believe Jon now?" Colby asked._

 _"Not really, but. . ."_

 _"But what, Scarlett? Why would you believe him over me, your own boyfriend? I'm being honest with you, Scarlett."_

 _"Are you? Are you really being honest with me?" I wanted to know._

 _Colby stared at me with those brown eyes of his. Right now, they seemed almost black because he was getting pissed off. He ran his hand through his hair and bit his lip as he sighed._

 _"You know I am. I told you I wasn't going to lie to you, and I meant that. I made you a promise that I wasn't going to hurt you. Why don't you believe me?"_

 _"I do believe you, Colby! It's just that I don't really take anyone at their word anymore. I did that before and got screwed over because of it. I do believe you, but I want you to prove it to me. Does this Leighla woman really mean nothing to you anymore?"_

 _"She means absolutely nothing to me. She's just a part of my past. I don't wanna spend my life in the past. I want to spend it here and now, with you. Please, Scarlett. I don't want you to trust Jon and believe him because that means you don't trust me."_

 _"Why would I want to trust Jon? And I know what you're doing, Colby. Kai did the same fucking thing to me. He manipulated me into thinking it was my fault and that I had to be wary of everyone else when he was the one I shouldn't have trusted."_

 _"I'm not Kai, Scarlett. You know this."_

 _"I know that. So stop trying to manipulate me. Of course I don't trust Jon and I sure as hell don't believe him. But you, I'm not so sure about. I don't know anything about you. Why?"_

 _"You know I don't get much time to come see you. If I did, I would be here every day. I promise, the next day I get off, I'll come here and we'll spend the whole day together. You'll know more about me than she ever did," Colby said._

 _He stepped closer to me and pulled me to him. I looked up at him and heaved a sigh. I laid my hands on his chest, feeling his heart beat against my hand._

 _"You promise?" I asked. I needed him to prove to me that he was being honest. I didn't want him to be like Kai._

 _"I promise. Now can I kiss you?"_

 _I rolled my eyes as I stood up on my tiptoes to kiss him._

"Hey! Earth to Scarlett!" Rami exclaimed as he waved his hand in front of my face. I started and looked over to see him hold his hands up like "what's going on?" I shook my head.

"Sorry. Um, I was remembering something. Uh, Colby and I actually got into a fight yesterday."

"Ah. You alright now?"

"I'm good. Are they here yet?"

"They've been here for the past few minutes. Come on, I'm starving and I'm sure they are too."

We got out of the truck and went inside. Once we were inside, we waited until a waitress came up to us and showed us to a table.

"Do you guys want anything to drink right now?" the waitress asked.

We gave her our drink orders and she left a few moments later. While we waited on our drinks, we started talking about tonight.

"It's too bad you couldn't come out tonight," Rami said to me.

"Ah, well, there's always next week, and I can't wait!" I exclaimed happily.

"Hopefully, soon, you'll be a part of the roster that doesn't involve you dancing around," Mattias remarked.

"You know how WWE is. They love their silly gimmicks. I wouldn't mind having a gimmick like you guys, though," I replied.

"Like what?"

"Um, okay. You know how Saraya has that whole "Anti-Diva" thing going on and Tennille has that bubbly, clumsy dancing thing? Well, I want to work something Southern into my gimmick, but I don't want it to be over-exaggerated like they've done with some country gimmicks. Maybe like someone who looks all sweet and innocent but will kick your ass if need be."

"AJ had something similar to that when she first started out," Brielle pointed out.

I was about to open my mouth when the waitress showed up with our drinks. She distributed them to us and we gave her our orders for our food and shakes. She left again and I replied to Brielle's statement.

"Yea, I remember that. I don't know. I'll figure it out eventually. Depending on how long I stay here, that is."

"I have a feeling you'll be stuck with us for a while," Joe said with a smile. I returned the grin and we spent the next few minutes talking, laughing and bullshitting with each other. Finally, our food arrived and we dug in. I may or may not have instigated a French fry fight with my friends. All in all, it was a great ending to an amazing night and I actually managed to finish off all my food and the shake, too!

"Damn, I'm stuffed," I said as I leaned back in my chair and patted my stomach.

"What are you complaining about? It doesn't show up on you," Willow remarked.

"Oh, shush. I can't help it 'cause I have a high metabolism. You'll be happy to know that it will slow down and I'll get fat later," I told her.

"That does make me feel better, actually," Willow retorted. I flipped her off.

"Alright, play nice, girls. You're both very beautiful. But not as beautiful as me," Mattias said, putting on his Tyler Breeze gimmick. We rolled our eyes at him, which made him laugh.

"We should go. We have a house show tomorrow and we should get some sleep," Rami told us.

We got up from our table, tipped the waitress (yes, all of us tipped her – she almost started crying tears of joy after we finished tipping her. It was either that or the fact that I slipped her a twenty.), and left the restaurant. Rami got in my truck and I cranked it up, letting it run for a bit to get warm.

"Hey, Scarlett?" Rami asked. I looked up from my phone.

"Yea?"

"I had fun tonight. Thanks for inviting me out with you guys," he said with a smile. I returned his smile, which was very warm and sweet. I decided then that Rami was a cool guy and I wouldn't mind having him in my corner.

"It's no problem. I had a lot of fun tonight, as well. Ready to go?"

"Hmm, not really. I kinda wanna keep talking to you. I think you're pretty cool. And no, I'm not saying that because I'm hitting on you. I know you're with Colby. But I kinda like you, Scar."

"Aww, thanks, Rami!" I gushed. I leaned over to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Better not let Colby find out you've been kissing another guy – he'll be mad," Rami teased. I rolled my eyes at him as I laughed.

"Nah, he'll be fine," I replied.

 _You sure about that?_ I mentally asked myself. _You did kiss another guy – and screw him, too. Colby really will be pissed off if he finds out about that._

 _I know that. Shut up about it,_ another voice argued.

"I hope so. He told me he was pretty broken up after he broke up with his last girlfriend. I hope you make each other happy," Rami told me.

"You know what? I hope so, too. But since he's on the main roster and I'm just starting out, it's gonna be kinda hard to keep the romance alive," I confessed.

Truth be told, I really was starting to doubt Colby's motives and I hated myself for it. I wanted to just shut up my brain and just try to be with him, but Jon was really getting under my skin. I hated him for making me doubt Colby, but I hated how I kept thinking that maybe he was right – maybe Colby was still dating Leighla and I was the other woman. If that was the case, then I shouldn't be with him at all. But I wasn't about to give Jon that satisfaction – not in the least. I don't think I could take that smug look on his face if he found out that Colby and I were on the outs.

"Hey! Earth to Scarlett!" Rami called, waving his hand in front of my face. I jumped as I remembered I was supposed to be driving Rami home.

"Oh my god. I'm sorry! I just . . . kinda . . . lost myself for a bit there. Sorry," I apologized. I backed out of the parking lot and started driving per Rami's directions.

"It's okay. What were you thinking about?"

"Uh, Colby, actually. Um, remember I told you we got into a fight yesterday?"

"Yea. Oh, turn here." Rami indicated a street and I turned to go down it.

"Well, the fight was about Jon. He, uh, tried to start some bullshit between us and I think it's working."

"Why do you say that?" Rami wanted to know. I told him what had happened and when I got done, Rami just nodded.

"That's . . . not really like Jon. He usually keeps to himself, mostly. Why is he going out of his way to start something?"

"I honestly have no idea. Maybe he thinks he's trying to protect his friend or maybe he just likes me and is jealous that I'm with Colby and not him. I have no fucking clue."

"Hey, go back! You just missed the turnoff!" Rami shouted. I slammed on brakes, probably causing whiplash and reversed.

"Ow. That hurt more than Claudio's uppercut," Rami complained. I rolled my eyes and drove down the correct street until Rami told me to stop.

"You have reached your destination," I said in my best GPS lady voice. Rami laughed at my silliness and got out to get his bags.

"You're not gonna walk me in?" he asked when he reached the driver's side.

"Nope. Sorry. Y'all might have house shows, but I have to go train tomorrow. I need to bring my A-game around y'all."

"That you do very well already," Rami said with another of his sweet grins.

"Thanks," I replied with a smile.

"No problem. Goodnight, Scar."

"Goodnight, Rami." He hoisted his bags up and walked towards his apartment. I waited until he closed the door before driving off.

As I was driving back to my house, I was thinking about tonight. I had a great time watching ArRival and hanging out at Steak 'N' Shake. I just kinda wish Colby had been there with me. Maybe I should call him when I get home. To drown out the thoughts in my head, I turned the radio up. I let the music play, but it couldn't stop my brain from running 90 to nothing with thoughts of Jon and Colby.

Am I fighting Jon or my feelings for Colby? Don't even get me started on what happened Sunday. I know Jon did that on purpose to see my reaction and I was so scared that I was gonna give myself away because I kinda liked how he felt against me. Where Colby was gentle and warm like home, Jon felt rough and hot, like a wildfire that would consume me if I got too close. There was just one question – did I want the comfortable warmth of Colby or did I want the wildfire that was Jon Good?

I kept thinking about that the entire way home. I didn't get much sleep that night because of my stupid brain. I knew I wasn't falling for Jon like I was Colby, but I did know I was starting to feel attracted to him and that's not a good thing for anyone . . . except maybe Jon.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: The Glue that Holds Us Together**

 **March 3, 2014:**

"I'm tired of being the glue that holds this group together!" I heard Colby shout at Joe and Jon before he walked off, leaving his team in danger of losing to the Wyatt Family. My friends and I were sitting on the couch watching _Raw_ and wondering what made Colby do this.

"It's probably just for a storyline," Brielle said.

"Yea, but I've always said that Colby would be the one to turn on the Shield from day one. And I was right. This is the beginning of the end for the Shield," I replied.

"You never know, though. They probably just wrote it like this to show a little bit of tension between the guys only to have everything be fine. I mean, hello? They've been one of, if not the most dominant factions for the last two years. The writers are probably just adding something new in. You know how Vince is about stuff like that," Willow pointed out.

"Great. If he screws the Shield up, what hope is there for me?" I wondered aloud.

"Don't talk like that, Scar. You're gonna be one of the greatest Divas of all time when you make it to the main roster," Aspen reassured me.

"Okay, Logan, you're putting all your eggs in a basket again," I told him. He stuck his tongue out at me and I reciprocated.

"No, I'm not. I just have a good feeling about it, that's all," he said with a smile. I returned his smile before getting up to go to bed.

"Going to bed already?" Brielle wanted to know.

"Yea. I mean, I've got training tomorrow and then on Thursday, we're shooting that promo for Adam and the Rosebuds. So I've got to get plenty of sleep because this week is going to be crazy. Goodnight, y'all. Tucker?"

"Yea?"

"Can you and Aspen keep it down tonight? I got like no sleep last night," I said mock-seriously. Tucker and Aspen turned bright red, making me and the girls burst into laughter.

"I'm kidding! I think. Goodnight, guys!" I called out. I made my way to bed and just before I laid down, my phone started ringing. I picked it up to see Colby's picture and I smiled.

"Well, hello there, darling," I drawled. I heard Colby sigh before he replied,

"Hey, babe."

I sat up in my bed with apprehension on my face. Was this storyline really affecting him?

"What's wrong?" Was it what happened earlier?" I asked, hoping to comfort him.

"Kinda. Everything's okay, though. Joe and Jon aren't too pissed at me," was his reply.

"I should hope not. What was that, though? You walking out on them? Not that I'm really surprised, but still."

"It's just for show. What do you mean, you aren't all that surprised? You know something I don't?" Colby asked.

"Eh. I have this feeling about you, is all," I told him.

"Is this feeling personal or about the Seth Rollins character?"

"Seth Rollins. Although, it's kinda personal, I suppose. I'm not sure yet."

"Start with Seth Rollins. What is this feeling you have about him?"

"Ever since you guys started, I've always thought that Seth Rollins would be the one to turn on the Shield. I have no idea why, but I've always felt that way."

"Oh, really now? Hell, maybe you should be a writer instead of a wrestler. That's not a bad idea," Colby said with a chuckle.

"Oh, please. Like Vince would want anyone to write what the fans want."

"True, very true. Okay so what about your personal feelings towards me?"

I knew he wasn't talking wrestling now, so I had to tell him.

"My personal feelings towards you are . . ."

"Are what? Don't leave me in suspense, girl. Tell me!" Colby exclaimed.

"My feelings for you are . . . growing. I'm scared, though," I confessed.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm scared of how fast my feelings for you are growing."

The line went silent for a while and I looked at my phone to make sure he hadn't ended the call. The seconds were still ticking by, though. I put the phone back up to my ear.

"Colby? You still there?"

"Yea. I'm here," was his reply. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, good. I thought you had hung up on me or something. I didn't freak you out, did I?" I bit my lip as I waited for his answer.

"Nah. You didn't freak me out, honey. How long have you felt like this?"

"A while now."

"Hmm."

"What is it?"

"I was just thinking of this song. Um, it's an old one, though. Have you heard of a band called Cinematic Sunrise?"

"Yea. They had this one song I loved – it was called . . ."

"'If Lilly Isn't Back by Sunset'!" we said in unison.

"I love that song! So what made you think of it?" I asked him.

"What you just said about your feelings for me," Colby told me.

"O . . . kay. So, what does that mean? I'm easily confused."

" _You make me,_

 _You make me glow_

 _Watch the way I light up around you_

 _Watch the way I light up around you_

 _You make me,_

 _You make me glow_

 _Watch the way I light up around you_

 _Watch the way I light up around you_

 _Eyes wide open but barely awake_

 _(A long shot that will wait in the chances we take)_

 _To remind the keys Lilly and I have heard_

 _There's a warm thought_

 _That brings us together_

 _This is what you wanted before_

 _Yea, this is what I wanted_

 _And if Lilly isn't back by sunset_

 _I just don't know what I would do_

 _And if Lilly isn't back by sunset_

 _I swear to God_

 _I hope she tells the truth_

 _And it's not okay_

 _If you go or stay_

 _This is what you wanted before_

 _Yea, this is what I wanted_

 _You make me,_

 _You make me glow_

 _Watch the way I light up around you_

 _Watch the way I light up around you"_

"Oh, Colby!" I gushed when he finished singing. "That was so sweet!" I wiped a tear away as I continued grinning from ear to ear.

"Thanks. I suck, though. So that's how you make me feel, Scarlett," he told me.

"Aww, you don't suck. That was probably the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me. I wish I could give you a hug and a kiss for that. That was adorable! You've got me crying over here."

"See?! I knew my singing sucked!" Colby mock-whined.

"No, baby! You really don't suck. They're happy tears, I promise. They really are."

"Aww, really? Well, good. I can't say too much for the other people on this plane, though. I might have freaked them out. I, uh, actually wanted to wait until I saw you in person to sing that song to you, but I guess now is a good time as any," Colby said.

"I loved it, Colby. I really did. Thank you for that."

"No problem. Uh, the plane's about to land soon, so I gotta hang up. I want to go out with you soon. My next day off is Friday. That okay with you?"

"I think I should be okay with that. I'll have to let you know Thursday night, though. Okay?"

"Yea, sure. Okay, I gotta go now. Um, goodnight, Scarlett. Sweet dreams," Colby whispered.

"Goodnight, Colby. Sweet dreams, darling," I replied. I heard the "call end" tone and put my phone down, grinning like an idiot the whole time.

So Colby feels the same way about me as I do him. This is definitely a step in the right direction. I couldn't help but hear David Archuleta's "Crush" play in my head as I slept that night, dreaming of Colby the entire night.

" _I hung up the phone tonight_

 _Something happened for the first time_

 _Deep inside it was a rush_

 _What a rush_

 _'Cause the possibility_

 _That you would ever feel the same way about me_

 _It's just too much_

 _Just too much_

 _Why do I keep running from the truth?_

 _All I ever think about is you_

 _You got me hypnotized_

 _So mesmerized_

 _And I've just got to know_

 _Do you ever think_

 _When you're all alone_

 _All that we could be?_

 _Where this thing could go?_

 _Am I crazy or falling in love?_

 _Is it real or just another crush?_

 _Do you catch a breath_

 _When I look at you?_

 _Are you holding back?_

 _Like the way you do?_

 _'Cause I'm trying, trying to walk away_

 _But I know this crush ain't going away_

 _Going away_ "

 **Author's note: Sorry for the really short chapter, but I felt like this needed to be a short and sweet chapter. I do hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter, though!**


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Don't Be a Lemon – Be a Rosebud!**

 **March 5, 2014:**

"Alright, guys! One more take and then you guys can take a break!" the director called out. I was so tired by this point. Not only had I been training all day yesterday, but I had to fit in a quick workout before coming to this bus to shoot Ray's video package for tomorrow night. It was to be his "official" debut and I was kind of excited. I wouldn't be doing anything, but at least people would get to see me on the WWE Network, so that was cool.

"And cue music!" the director exclaimed. The sound system started playing what would be Adam Rose's new theme music and I plastered a smile back on my face and began dancing again. Ray walked through the bus, repeating his lines until he got to me and another girl. He put his arms around both of us as he said,

"This is my ex-girlfriend! And this is my future ex-girlfriend. Lovely ladies." He danced off then and finished his promo after a few minutes and finally, the director called for a water break.

I flopped down on a bench and took my heels off, rubbing my feet. Ah, that feels so damn good!

"Hey. You alright?" someone asked. I looked up to see a girl I had been working with for a while holding a bottle of water out.

"I'm fine, Brittany (Devin Taylor). How are you?" I asked, accepting the bottle. I twisted the cap off, pleased to find that it hadn't been opened before and took down half the bottle in about four gulps.

"I'm okay. Just a little tired. I have to do this and then I have backstage interviews tomorrow, so I'm gonna be more than exhausted after this."

"Yea, but you get to start house shows soon. I'm still training," I told her. Brittany sat down next to me, drinking her water.

"I'm sure they'll let you start house shows soon. The way you've been kicking my ass at the Performance Center? I'm surprised they haven't started letting you yet."

"I'm not that great yet. I'm actually just excited to be doing this for now. You know there's rumors going around that they want Ray on the main roster soon? That's crazy!"

"I know, right? That would be so cool if he was on the main roster."

Just then, the director called for us to get back in our places.

"Aw, damn. I just got comfortable, too!" I whined.

"Ugh. This director is killing us all. It was great talking to you, Scarlett. Rematch next week?" Brittany asked.

"You know it. I might let you win next time," I told her as I bent down to put my heels back on. She laughed at that as she walked away. I got up to stand in place and waited for the music to hit again.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, we were let off the bus, which was conveniently located in front of the Performance Center. I walked inside to the locker room, where I changed out of my dress and heels into my workout clothes. I headed to the Superstar Lounge for a quick bite to eat.

I was in the middle of devouring my leftovers meal Brielle had cooked the night before when Ashley and Mercedes sat down on either side of me.

"Hey, girls. What's up?" I asked them.

"Nothing much, really. How'd your shoot go?" Mercedes asked as she opened up her salad and green tea.

"It went alright. That director was like a slave worker – he kept wanting to go through the promo again and again. I felt like I was back in high school!"

"What do you mean?" Ashley wanted to know.

"I was in marching band in high school and my band director would make us do things multiple times until we got it right. I knew that going into the shoot, when he said "one more time" that it wouldn't be one more time. But I think we got it. Now they just have to edit it and go from there."

"You were a band nerd?" Ashley asked. I looked at her.

"Not everyone has the coordination to play volleyball," I replied, sticking my tongue out at her. She reciprocated and Mercedes chimed in,

"Be nice, you two. I don't wanna have to kick your asses."

That made both of us turn to look at her.

"Darling, you know you couldn't kick my ass. Her, maybe," Ashley said, pointing at me.

"Hey! I resent that comment. I could kick both of your asses and you know it. Just because you're Ric Flair's daughter doesn't mean you can beat me. I did beat you yesterday, you know. And you as well, Miss Mercedes," I told them.

Mercedes rolled her eyes at me and went back to her salad.

"You Southern girls are weird," she said to us. Ashley and I looked at each other and fist bumped.

"Nah, we just know how to work it," I said, flipping my ponytail over my shoulder.

"Exactly. No one can resist a Southern woman," Ashley drawled.

"So which one's the better Southern woman, then?" Mercedes asked.

"Georgia Peaches, of course!" I exclaimed.

"No, honey. That's wrong. The Carolina Ladies are where it's at. Mmkay?" Ashley countered. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Puh-lease! Georgia has the best women. After all, it did produce one of the best Southern fictional characters of all time – Miss Katie Scarlett O'Hara. And she wasn't a Carolina Lady by any means."

"She wasn't a lady, period. She seemed vain and whiny to me," Ashley argued.

"In the beginning, maybe. But she did grow up eventually. She had no choice but grow up – her mom died and her dad went batty. Her sisters weren't much help, either. And Rhett? Don't get me started on Rhett."

"What the hell are you guys arguing about?" Mercedes wanted to know.

" _Gone with the Wind_! You've never seen it?" Ashley asked.

"Or read the book?" I added.

"Not really and no. I took one look at the book and decided to read something else. That was a huge-ass book. And a long-ass movie, too," Mercedes replied.

"Oh, come on! It's one of the best movies and books of all time! The story is amazing. But it left so many questions, though!" I cried.

"I know, right? Does she get Rhett back? Does she end up with Ashley or does Ashley start pursuing her? So . . . many . . . questions. It's a shame Margaret Mitchell never wrote another book after that. You know what?" Ashley said.

"What?"

"We need to have a girls' night this Saturday. Get the movie, some food, drinks – what do y'all think?"

"I'm down for that, I think. What about Bram (Charlotte's husband – TNA wrestler), Ashley? Will he be okay with it?" Mercedes wanted to know.

"He'll be fine with it. Anybody you need to let know?" was Ashley's reply.

"Nah. Colby's got a house show on Saturday and I think my friends have plans too. What about you, Mercedes?" I asked.

"Hmm. I don't think so. So where are we having it at?" Mercedes wanted to know.

"We can do it at my place," I offered.

"Okay. Cool," they said together.

We finished our lunches and made our way to the rings where Sara put us through our paces. She then split us off into small groups and had Bill and two other trainers work with us to develop our movesets.

It was almost midnight when we got done training and cleaning up the Performance Center. I had just put away the cleaning supplies and was about to walk out of the supplies room when someone stopped me.

"Hey."

"Um, hi." The guy looked familiar and he had a British accent, so I immediately wanted him to keep talking.

"I'm, uh, Ben. The NXT Champ, Adrian Neville?"

"Oh! Okay. Cool, I'm Scarlett – future NXT Women's Champion. Nice to meet you," I said, extending my hand. He shook it and almost immediately took his hand away like I had burned him or something.

"My hand's not sweaty. I don't think so anyways," I said, looking down at my hand. Nope – not sweaty.

"Not that. I'm a little shy, is all. I've been wanting to introduce myself to you since you started here and I've been kicking myself for not doing it sooner. Shit. I'm sorry. I'm gonna go."

Ben walked off before I could reply and I was left feeling very weird. I didn't even know he wanted to talk to me. I mean, I'm pretty approachable, or I would like to hope so, anyway. Maybe he really is just shy. I shook my head and walked out of the supplies room to the locker room. I took a quick shower and changed into my regular clothes. I gathered up my stuff and walked out of the locker room.

"Scarlett?" I turned around to see Ben standing in the hallway.

"Hey. Ben, right?"

"Yea. I'm so sorry about earlier. I just freaked out a little bit. Um, like I said, I've been wanting to talk to you for a while. I think you seem pretty cool and all," Ben said, tripping all over his words.

"Aww, thanks!" I said as I adjusted my bag. "I didn't know you felt that way. I think you're a really good wrestler. I mean, that Red Arrow of yours? Holy shit, that's amazing!"

That made Ben blush and he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Uh, I'm just gonna go ahead and say this before I leave. Do you want to go out with me?"

"Like on a date?" That made Ben's eyes widen and his jaw drop.

"N-no! Not – not like a date, Scarlett! I mean, I mean like – like friends! I just – I just met you, that's all. Uh, oh, fuck. I can't believe this," Ben stammered. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to calm himself.

Okay, I should feel bad for Ben, but this was adorable. I've never really had a guy trip over his words when it came to me. I knew I shouldn't lead him on like this, though.

"I would love to, Ben. As friends though because I'm kind of seeing someone right now," I told him.

"That's okay. Um, can I ask who?"

"Colby," I replied with a smile on my face. I was still feeling giddy over our conversation on Monday and I couldn't wait to see him Friday. We were going to get pizza and watch _Smackdown_ with my friends. It wasn't a big production, but I didn't care because that meant I got to spend time with him.

"Colby? That's weird."

"Why's that?"

"He told me he had plans this weekend, but he didn't mention you. Actually, I don't remember him saying anything about you at all."

That made me furrow my brows. Colby hasn't mentioned me to his friends? Why not?

"Why not?" I asked him.

"I don't know, really. I mean, we're pretty close, or I think so, anyways. What, are you guys like dating or something?"

"I would like to think we are. Why hasn't he said anything about me to anyone? I mean, Jon and Joe know about us. So do Rami, Phil and Matt. So why hasn't he said anything about me to you?" I wanted to know.

"I have no idea. I do know about Leighla, though."

There's that name again. I have a very bad feeling about this. Who is Leighla and what is she to Colby? She was making me crazy.

"Leighla?"

"Yea. She and Colby came to my place a few weeks ago. He seemed like he was really into her. And I'm betting you had no idea about this, did you. Oh my God. Is Colby cheating on you?" Ben asked.

"I – I have no idea. Um, I need to go. We'll have to take a rain check, okay?" I rushed out the door and to my truck before Ben could reply. I got in my truck and started hyperventilating. Was Jon right? Is Colby just using me? I ran my hands through my hair as I felt my heart pounding in my chest. Oh, God, this can't be real.

"Aah!" I shouted as I hit the steering wheel with my palms. "Fuck!" I started scream-crying as I hit the steering wheel and kicked the floor of the truck. I freaked out like this for a while until I finally calmed down. I sniffled as I wiped my tears off my face. I couldn't believe this. Why is Colby doing this to me? How could I be so stupid?

That's it. I'm not dealing with him anymore. As far as I'm concerned, this Leighla woman can have him. I drove home, trying to keep from crying again. Honestly, I didn't know why I was feeling like this. Colby and I weren't all that serious, but I knew my feelings for him were real and they scared the hell out of me. I still don't know how he feels about me.

I pulled up into my driveway and was about to park in my usual spot when I noticed someone's car in my spot. It wasn't Mattias's, Joe's, Aspen's or anyone that we knew, so who the hell did my friends let in? I took a few deep breaths, grabbed my bag and got out of my truck. I unlocked the door and walked in to see someone sitting on the couch.

"Um, hello?" I called out. They turned around and I gasped.

"C-Colby? I thought you weren't coming 'til Friday. What's going on?" Colby stood up and walked over to me with a smile on his face that instantly fell away.

"What's wrong, Scarlett? You look like you've been crying. Are you okay?" He pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me and I just lost it. I started sobbing into his chest.

"Hey. It's okay. I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere, honey. Shh. It's okay, darling," Colby whispered as he tried to comfort me. He held me close to him as I cried. When I calmed down after a while, Colby slid his hands under my chin and lifted it up so I could look at him. He was smiling.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're really beautiful even when you cry?" Colby whispered as he pushed some of my hair behind my ear. That made me smile a little.

"Shut up," I told him.

"You are, though. Now who made you cry and do I have to punch them?"

"Uh, you'd be punching yourself," I confessed. Colby cocked his head.

"Can I ask why?"

I told him what Ben said to me earlier and while Colby listened, he stopped holding me. When I finished, Colby stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at me.

"So . . . so you think I'm cheating on you?" he wanted to know.

"Or cheating with me. I don't know, actually. I honestly don't know why I feel like this. We're not all that serious."

"Not yet, anyway."

"Huh?" Okay, now I was confused.

"That's why I came here early. I really, really wanted to see you tonight. I can't stop thinking about you. I know that I went to Ben's place with Leighla, but that was before we went out on our first date. I was planning on breaking up with her then, which I did. I should've told him about us and I will. I promise. I told you I wasn't going anywhere and I'm not going back on my promise to you. I'm yours, Scarlett. If you'll have me, that is."

"Oh, Colby. Are you serious?" He nodded as he picked me up in his arms.

"Of course, darling." He kissed me then and I melted into his kiss and arms.

As he kissed me, I kept thinking that I was so silly for doubting him, for doubting us. We weren't all that perfect, but we were better together. I broke the kiss a little while later.

"Hey, why'd you stop?" Colby asked. He was grinning again and I noticed he had the most adorable gap in his front top teeth.

"Hang on just a second. By the way, you have a really cute gap in your teeth. I just noticed that," I said as I walked over to my sound system.

That made him laugh as he replied,

"Thanks. What are you doing?"

I plugged in my iPod and was searching for a song when I felt his arms wrap around me from behind.

"Mmm. You haven't done that in a while. I'm looking for a song for us to dance to." Colby held me closer to him as he nuzzled my neck.

"I know I haven't. I promise I'll give you more hugs like this. I can't dance worth a shit."

I turned around to wrap my arms around his shoulders.

"It's okay. I can show you." I reached back and pressed play. I showed Colby how to dance as Scotty McCreery's "See You Tonight" played over the sound system.

" _Girl, you know I love talking to you on the phone_

 _I could listen to your sweet voice all night long_

 _Sometimes I can get by with a sweet dreams baby good night,_

 _But this time, well, I don't wanna spend it alone_

 _So I'm coming over, I hope it's alright_

 _Listen for me pulling into your drive_

 _Look out your window—you'll see my lights_

 _Baby girl, I gotta see you tonight_

 _The way the breeze is blowing, blowing_

 _Got me wishing I was holding, holding_

 _Holding you so tight under that porch light_

 _But girl, I gotta see you tonight, tonight, tonight_

 _Girl, I gotta see you tonight, tonight, tonight_

 _….._

 _No, I don't care what time it is,_

 _I just gotta get a little moonlight kiss_

 _Girl, I can't help it when I feel like this_

 _There's only one thing to do_

 _Baby, I'm missing you_ "

Colby didn't let go of me once the whole time we were dancing and it made me feel like I had butterflies in my stomach. When that song was over, my iPod switched over to Zendaya's "Replay" and we danced to that; well I mostly danced to it – Colby just watched me, but I didn't mind.

" _Make it stop_

 _Sound so good_

 _I just can't take no more_

 _Turn it down, turn it up_

 _I don't know, I don't know (know)_

 _But don't stop, don't move_

 _Just keep it right there (right there)_

 _Keep it right there, keep it right there_

 _I wanna put you on repeat, play you everywhere I go_

 _E-everywhere I go_

 _Play you everywhere I go_

 _Put you on repeat, play you everywhere I go_

 _E-everywhere I go_

 _Play you everywhere I go_

 _Yeah_

 _Wanna put this song on replay_

 _I can listen to it all day_

 _I can listen to you all day_

 _Hear you all day_

 _Yeah_

 _Wanna put this song on replay_

 _We can start all over again and again, yeah_

 _Wanna put this song on replay_ "

"Damn. You are an amazing dancer," Colby said when the song was over. "Thank you. You're not that bad yourself," I replied.

"Nah. I'm not that good. I'd rather watch you dance, though," he told me. I grinned at him and asked,

"So, what do you want to do?"

"Right now," he said as he moved closer to me, "I wanna do this." He pulled me in close for another kiss. I kissed him back and we started making out a few minutes later. Colby pulled us down to the couch where I landed in his lap. We continued making out until Colby stopped kissing my lips to start kissing my neck.

"Ohh, Colby," I moaned as I felt his mouth working on my neck. I moved closer to him so I could start doing the same to his neck, which made him moan. This went on for a while until he started reaching for the hem of my t-shirt. I jerked away and got off his lap.

"We – we can't do this," I managed to get out of my mouth.

"Why not?" Colby asked, his already husky voice thick with desire. I looked up into those brown eyes of his and saw that they were almost black with – lust maybe?

"Not right now, okay? We're still . . . we're still trying to figure each other out."

"Hmm. I know one thing – I want you, Scarlett. Bad." Colby reached for me and I pulled away from him. I knew I had jumped into bed with Phil, but I wasn't going to do that with Colby; not right now, anyway. Just then, the music shuffled over to a really old song that, well, put things into perspective.

" _I feel like I've been locked up tight_

 _For a century of loneliness_

 _Waiting for someone_

 _To release me_

 _You're licking your lips_

 _And blowing kisses my way_

 _But that don't mean_

 _I'm gonna give it away_

 _Baby, baby, baby_

 _Ohh, ohh, ooh_

 _(My body's saying let's go)_

 _Ohh, ohh, ooh_

 _(But my heart is saying no)_

 _If you wanna be with me_

 _Baby, there's a price to pay_

 _I'm a genie in a bottle_

 _Gotta rub me the right way_

 _If you wanna be with me_

 _I can make your wish come true_

 _Gotta make a big impression_

 _Gotta like what you do_

 _(I'm a genie in a bottle, baby_

 _Gotta rub me the right way, honey_

 _I'm a genie in a bottle, baby_

 _Come, come let me out)_ "

It made both of us laugh, breaking up some of the very obvious tension between us.

"Yea, what she said, Colby," I said.

"So if I want to be with you, I have to make a good impression? I thought I was doing that." He said this as he reached over to run his fingers up and down my calf, which sent some very nice tingles up and down my leg.

"You are. But the song also mentions that I won't give it away just yet."

"I know. I wouldn't want you to do that. But you keep dancing like that and you just might, if I don't give it away first. I do have to ask, though – was there anybody after Kai? Like, that you've been with?"

 _Well, there was Phil, but I'm not telling you that_ , I thought.

"Nope," I lied.

"Me either, actually. I don't know. I want to wait for you, but tonight's making me think differently. You turn me on, Scarlett. You really do. But if you feel you're not ready to take that next step, I'll be okay with that. Seriously."

I leaned across the couch to kiss him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Colby. So, I have to ask again. What are you gonna do?"

"Um, can I crash here for the night? I don't feel like driving around Orlando looking for a hotel."

"Sure. But you're sleeping on the couch, though," I told him as I got up.

"Aww, come on, babe! Let me sleep with you. Please? I won't try anything. I swear," Colby pleaded. He widened his eyes and he looked like my dogs back home with those big eyes of his that I couldn't resist.

"Okay, but seriously. Don't try anything. Go get your stuff out of the car."

I walked off to my room while Colby got his stuff. A few minutes later, Colby walked back in with his bag.

"Ready?" I asked him. He flashed me a grin as he replied,

"Sure." I unplugged my iPod and turned off the sound system before leading Colby to my bedroom. He was only the second guy I had let into my bed since I've moved here and I certainly hope he was the last one.

"What do you sleep in?" I asked when we got into my room.

"Um, I usually don't sleep in anything," Colby said as he sat down on my bed and took off his shoes.

 ** _(Author's note: now there's a sight we'd love to see, isn't it?)_**

"Oh, really now? Um, that might be a problem," I replied.

"Why's that?"

"Same here, actually. Sometimes I wear underwear to bed, but it's not that often that I do."

"So we can sleep naked together without actually sleeping together?" Colby asked hopefully. I rolled my eyes.

"Nope. Not yet. But you can give me that shirt you're wearing, though and I'll sleep in that," I told him as I pointed to his shirt.

"Well, come and get it, then, baby." I raised my eyebrows at him and shook my head as I shrugged.

"What the hell. Sure."

I walked over to Colby and reached for the hem of his shirt, which actually felt pretty nice. I made a mental note to look at the label later. I looked up at Colby, who was smirking.

"Well? What are you waiting for? I've been dying to see you in my shirt." I slowly pushed his shirt up his torso, admiring his hard, muscular body. He may seem small on TV compared to guys like John Cena or even Roman Reigns, but honey, he was so far from small in person. I got his shirt over his head then and I stood there holding his shirt as I stared at his body.

"You know," Colby said, interrupting my staring, "you could just finish actually undressing me instead of doing it mentally 'cause honey, in my mind, you're already in your birthday suit, on your back, in that bed with me on top of you."

That made me gasp, which made him laugh.

"Colby Lopez! You're horrible!" I exclaimed.

"I told you, baby. You turn me on. You sure you still want me to sleep naked?"

"Leave your underwear on. But first," I said, turning him towards my bathroom, "go in there. You can either take a cold shower or take care of it. Just make sure you clean up afterwards."

"You want me to jerk off in your bathroom?" Colby asked incredulously.

"If it would help you. There's also the cold shower."

"And what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?" Colby turned around to face me. He pulled me close to him yet again, but this time he didn't kiss me. Instead, he gripped my ass and made sure I felt everything. I groaned as I felt him straining against his jeans.

"I mean . . . what are you going to do?" He leaned down to whisper in my ear, holding me against him. "Are you going to take a cold shower . . . or take care of it?"

"I . . . I'm not . . . sure yet," I gasped out. He looked at me and smirked.

"God, the things I could do to you, Scarlett. You're driving me insane right now, girl. You're lucky I have amazing self-control."

"Oh, really? Why's that?"

"Because, and only with your permission, I'd already have both of us naked in that bed and giving you the best night of your life if I didn't."

"Uh-huh. And what about my self-control, darling?" That made him smirk again.

"If you didn't have any, you would have taken off my pants . . . and your clothes." He released me then, making me moan.

"I think I'm going to take your suggestions. Too bad you can't watch . . . or join in," Colby said with a wink. He walked off to the bathroom, leaving me standing there panting.

Holy shit, I am gonna be in so much trouble. I had to do something. So I did. I changed out of my clothes and into his t-shirt, which came down to my knees and walked over to my dresser, where I found something that would definitely take care of my problem without me going into that bathroom and jumping Colby.

Colby was just coming out of the bathroom when I finished. He was wearing nothing but his boxers and his hair was wet. The look in his eyes when he saw me was one of pure, unadulterated hunger. It was as if he could just walk over to my bed and devour me right now.

"Damn. If that's how you look now, I can't wait to see the look on your face when we do have sex," Colby said. I looked up at him and flashed him a devilish grin.

"You'll just have to wait for that," I replied. I got off the bed and walked over to him. He looked down at my hand and I blushed.

"Hmm. Haven't seen one that small before," he remarked, making me blush again.

"Yea, but it gets the job done. I need to go clean it off, though, so . . ."

"Ah, yea, sure." Colby stepped out of the way and I walked into the bathroom, where I cleaned it and myself up. I came out a few minutes later to see Colby already in bed, playing on his phone. He looked so comfortable there, like he belonged there. It made me smile but I knew he wouldn't be there for long.

"Wow."

"What is it?" I wanted to know.

"Nothing. Just you, honey." Colby said. "You look amazing. Come here." He patted the bed and I made my way over there. I got under the covers and laid my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. He kissed the top of my head and I grinned again.

"I kinda like how this feels, Scarlett," Colby murmured. I looked up at him and replied,

"Me too. It's not gonna happen too often, so I'll take what I can get."

"I'm gonna try to make this happen more often. Because I don't want to let go of you anytime soon. Okay?"

"Okay. Oh my God, did we just we repeat lines from _The Fault in Our Stars_? We're so lame," I laughed.

"Nah. We're alright together," Colby said as he ran his hand up and down my arm.

"You sure?"

"Would I be here right now if I wasn't?"

"You have a point there," I told him. Colby flashed a smile at me and leaned down to kiss me. I returned his kiss. He broke the kiss a little while later to whisper in my ear,

"Goodnight, Scarlett. Sweet dreams, darling."

"Goodnight, Colby. Sweet dreams to you, too."

We fell asleep soon after that and I didn't have to dream because Colby was there, which is all I've ever wanted. I still hope he feels the same way about me.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: You Little Shit.**

 **March 6, 2014:**

I woke up the next morning feeling completely blissed out. I had spent the entire night with Colby without having sex, but I didn't care. I rolled over, only to find Colby gone.

"Colby?" I called out. Where did he go? I heard my phone buzzing and picked it up. It was a text from Colby.

 ** _"Hey_** ** _J_** ** _Just went to get breakfast. Didn't want to wake you up. I'll be back soon."_**

I breathed a little sigh of relief as I put my phone back on the dresser. I got up to take a shower and get ready for my last training session of the week. Technically, I didn't have to come in today but I felt like I needed to. I put my workout clothes on and grabbed my bag. I got my phone and my iPod and made my way to the living room, where I heard Colby's car pull up. He walked in a few seconds later with coffee and breakfast.

"Good morning, darling," Colby said as he set the breakfast down on the coffee table.

"Good morning, babe," I replied. He walked over to me and picked me up in his arms. I giggled as he started planting kisses all over my face and neck.

"Colby!" I squealed.

"What? I've always wanted to do that," he said as he grinned at me. I rolled my eyes at him before kissing him back.

"You little shit. You're adorable, but still. You're a little shit," I told him when I stopped kissing him.

"I know. Now, do you want to eat or on the way to the Performance Center? I was thinking about heading over there myself," Colby said. I looked down at the coffee and breakfast.

"Let's eat and drive. Do you have your workout clothes?"

"Let me go get them. Uh, I didn't know what you liked, so I just got you a white chocolate mocha. Is that okay with you?"

"Yea, sure. I like it," I told him with a smile. Truthfully, it was one of my favorite flavors of coffee and the fact that Colby knew it right off the bat was kind of awesome. He came back a few minutes later with his workout bag and we headed to the Performance Center, eating our breakfast and talking.

"Did I freak you out this morning?" Colby asked as he was driving.

"A little. I know you have to go soon, but yea. I got a little scared that you just left without at least telling me goodbye," I confessed.

"I wouldn't do that to you. I know better than that," he replied as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Good. Hey, how 'bout we listen to some of your music? I wanna see what you like," I said.

"Sure. Plug up my phone for me, please?" Colby said, indicating his phone.

"Uh, you have to unlock it first, dude," I told him. He unlocked the phone and I plugged it up. I found his Spotify app and opened it up.

"I do have to warn you, though – my music gets kinda loud sometime," Colby warned.

"I think I can handle it," I told him. I scrolled through until I found a song I liked. **_(Author's note: I do not have the original song on my computer, but I do have a Punk Goes cover, so that's what will be used in this story and on the soundtrack.)_**

" _Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me_

 _I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed_

 _She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb_

 _In the shape of an "L" on her forehead_

 _Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming_

 _Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running_

 _Didn't make sense not to live for fun_

 _Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb_

 _So much to do so much to see_

 _So what's wrong with taking the back streets?_

 _You'll never know if you don't go_

 _You'll never shine if you don't glow_

 _Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play_

 _Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on get paid_

 _And all that glitters is gold_

 _Only shooting stars break the mold_ "

"I didn't know you were into the _Punk Goes_ series," Colby remarked when the song went off.

"Are you kidding me?! I literally have all of the albums on my computer. I wish they would come out with a new one soon, though."

"Me too. I'm sure they will, though. Five bucks it's another _Punk Goes Pop_ album," he joked.

"As long as they don't try to come out with a _Punk Goes Country_ album, I'll be happy."

"Why? I think that would be cool to see."

"Ew. No. They can do any other genre of music they'd like, but they better not even think of touching country. They'd just butcher it."

"You're relay passionate about your music, huh?"

"I am. Especially country music. To me, it's not just music. It's a way of life," I said with a smile.

"Hmm. I can't believe I'm saying this, but find me a country song to listen to. I'm starting to like it," Colby replied.

"I can tell. You have a country station on your Spotify."

That made Colby blush.

"Find something to listen to," he said.

"Okay, cool. I think you might like this one. This was my old theme song," I said.

" _I'm hell on heels_

 _Say what you will_

 _I've done made the devil a deal_

 _He made me pretty_

 _He made me smart_

 _And I'm going to break me a million hearts_

 _I'm hell on heels, baby I'm comin' for you_

 _This diamond ring on my hand_

 _Is the only good thing that came from that man_

 _Got a GTO from one named Joe_

 _And a big piece of land down in Mexico_

 _I'm hell on heels, baby I'm comin' for you_

 _I got a pink guitar, a Lincoln Town Car_

 _From ol' what's his name I met at a bar_

 _Got a high-rise flat in Hollywood_

 _From a married man who wasn't up to no good_

 _I'm hell on heels, baby I'm comin' for you_ "

"Hell on heels, huh? Nah, you're too sweet for that," Colby said.

"Then you don't me that well, then," I retorted, sticking my tongue out at him.

"I want to, though."

That made me shut up.

"I know you do. Hey, wanna listen to some Top 40?"

Colby made a face at that one.

"What? I like most kinds of music!"

"Agh. Fine. But nothing too lame, okay?"

"Eh. Depends on your definition." I clicked through until I found the "Top Tracks" playlist and clicked on that.

"Oh, God. That song? Really? I cannot get away from it!" Colby said exasperatedly.

"Too bad. I like it, and we're listening to it."

" _I've never seen a diamond in the flesh_

 _I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies_

 _And I'm not proud of my address,_

 _In a torn-up town, no postcode envy_

 _But every song's like gold teeth, grey goose, trippin' in the bathroom_

 _Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room,_

 _We don't care, we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams._

 _But everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece._

 _Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash._

 _We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair._

 _And we'll never be royals (royals)._

 _It don't run in our blood,_

 _That kind of luxe just ain't for us._

 _We crave a different kind of buzz._

 _Let me be your ruler (ruler),_

 _You can call me queen Bee_

 _And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule._

 _Let me live that fantasy_."

"I'm so glad we're here now," Colby said through gritted teeth.

"Why?"

"Because I really hate that song. It plays in my gym at home and the girls have it blasting in their locker room when I'm backstage. It's really fucking annoying."

"Ah, well. That's just too bad, dear. Come on. Wanna go a round in the ring? Since we couldn't go a round or two last night?" I asked, winking at him.

"Oh, you would bring that up. Do you know how hard it was sleeping next to you last night without tearing my shirt off you and just fucking your brains out?"

"Oh, I know how hard it was. I felt it the majority of the night. Why do you think I put that pillow there?"

"I was wondering why I had a pillow down there. Come on. I might let you win this time," Colby joked.

"Oh, like you let me win last time we wrestled?" I got out of the car and waited on Colby to get out. We walked inside the Performance Center hand in hand. I liked the way my hand fit inside his. It made me start smiling, which made Colby look down and ask,

"What's got you grinning over there?"

"You. And this," I said, bringing up our interlocked hands.

"I'm glad I can make you smile. Now come on so we can get some of this frustration out," Colby said.

"We?" I asked.

"Well, I wasn't the only one that had to take care of myself last night." Colby winked at me, and I rolled my eyes.

"Let's go."

"Hey, we should do Crossfit after this. What do you say?"

"Hmm. Never tried it before. I guess we can do that. Then we can get dinner before I go to Full Sail. They want us over there for the Adam Rose thing," I told him as I scratched my lip with my thumb.

"Okay, cool. Let's go."

We split up once we got inside – Colby to the rings and me to the warmup room so I could work out before Sara put me through the wringer.

"Well, someone's certainly a happy camper today," Saraya pointed out when I joined the group.

"I can't help it. Colby makes me so happy I can't stand it!" I exclaimed with a giggle. She rolled her eyes at me.

"What? I can't help it if I'm dating one of the best looking guys in the WWE," I said.

"It's not that, love. Just, uh, be careful around him, okay? Don't move too fast."

"Have you been talking to Jon Good?" I wanted to know.

"I don't think so. Why? Did he say something to you about Colby?"

"He said pretty much the same thing you did." I then told her what happened at the Elimination Chamber PPV and how Jon was still trying to come between Colby and I.

"I think I need to have a talk with him," Saraya said when I finished.

"No, because you'll end up hitting him, which he likes for some reason," I told her.

"He won't like it when I get ahold of him. Come on, let's go workout."

We were in the middle of going through our ring work when we received some visitors – The Shield.

"Okay, girls!" Sara called out, bringing us all to attention. I gave Colby a small wave and he grinned back. Joe caught my attention and gave me a "'Sup?" nod, while Jon stood there smirking at me like the jackass he is. I flipped him off, which made him chuckle a little. Dick.

"As you all know, this is The Shield – Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. Today, they will be your guest trainers. Listen well to them and then we will split you off into groups," Sara explained. I raised my hand.

"Yes, Scarlett?"

"Will we get to wrestle them?" I asked. I was itching to beat Jon.

"I'd certainly like to wrestle Colby," one of the girls called out. That remark made Colby duck his head while Jon and Joe laughed at him. It just pissed me off. _Hands off, bitch_ , I thought. I crossed my arms and tried to keep my composure as Sara answered,

"Sure. If that's okay with you guys?" They agreed in unison and of course Jon had to open his smart mouth.

"I would love to wrestle against these girls. But be warned – I don't play fair," he said, making some of the girls giggle. _I don't either, honey_ , I mentally shot back at him.

"Jon," Sara warned. "Some of these girls don't have the experience that you do. Go easy on them."

"Oh, Sara, of course I will. You never know – they might learn some things from me," Jon replied, mostly to me. I glared at him and Colby gave him a sideways look.

"Okay, well, they are yours for the next hour. Go easy on them," Sara said. She stepped out of the ring to confer with Bill and some of the other trainers and left us, mostly me, to the mercy of The Shield.

"Joe, you go first since you were mostly trained here," Colby said. He went to one corner of the ring while Jon went to the other corner.

"Okay. Uh, as y'all know, my name is Joe Anoa'i. Yes, I'm part of _that_ family, in case you haven't noticed."

"Oh, we've noticed! You and your cousin Dwayne are some fine-ass men," another girl called out. That made him laugh and he continued.

"Thanks for that. I know how it is to get in this ring and have someone tell you what to do because you have no clue. You think you do, but you don't. I might be The Rock's cousin and my dad might have been part of one of the greatest tag teams in WWE history, but that doesn't necessarily mean that their talent rubbed off on me. I'm still learning. I learn something new every day so I can make myself better in the ring. So when Sara or Bill or whoever tells you something or suggests something to you, listen. It will help you become a better wrestler, guy or girl, whether you come from wrestling royalty or the indie scene or straight out of a wrestling school. I'm not saying this to be an asshole, but you're not as good as you think you are. I've learned that lesson the hard way sometimes. These guys are here to help you get better at what you do so that someday, you can be on the main roster with us tearing it up out there every night in front of thousands of screaming fans. Since most of you are working towards being a Diva, I say this – be the type of woman that my little girl can look up to. Be the type of woman that your little girl or anyone's little girl strives to be. Work hard, have fun, listen and be safe. Okay. I think that's all I have to say about that. Either of y'all wanna take over?"

When Joe finished speaking, we all broke out into applause. His words really did make a lot of sense and I was definitely going to take those to heart. Colby and Jon stepped up then to deliver their speeches. I wished they would hurry up so that I could kick Jon's ass. Maybe then he would stop being a dickwad to me.

"Alright. Well said, Joe. Okay, Jon and I obviously have more experience wrestling than he does, but he's definitely learning a lot. As well as he should be. That goes for you girls, as well. Our wrestling upbringing was different than yours. I didn't get a state of the art facility to go to – I had to train in a warehouse."

"I didn't even get the warehouse. I had to learn as I went. I dropped out of high school to become a wrestler. Some of y'all probably did the same thing. Some of you didn't. The point is, this is a really fucking nice facility. Y'all have it good. But that doesn't matter. What matters is the talent that you girls have. Some of you have more than others. Like you," Jon said, pointing at me. I crossed my arms and stared at him.

"Really now? How's that?" I wanted to know.

"What she said. What are you talking about, Jon?" Colby asked, that jealousy creeping into his voice again. Sometimes I hated it when Colby acted jealous, but right now, I was glad for it.

"I'm saying, let's stop talking about talent and let's prove it. Scarlett? Wanna wrestle?" Jon asked with a smirk on his face. Colby looked from Jon to me and back to Jon, while Joe just looked intrigued.

I made my way over to the guys and got in Jon's face.

"It depends, Good. Can you handle it when a little girl kicks your ass?" I said with a smirk of my own.

"I don't know, Reed. Why don't we find out?"

"Uh, guys?" Colby said, trying to break the tension. We looked at him and my heart melted – he was so worried. It wasn't me he needed to worry about, though – it was his brother.

"Yea?" we said together.

"Are you sure about this? You might hurt each other."

Jon and I looked at each other and then back to Colby. I was about to open my mouth when Joe stepped in.

"I think you should let them wrestle. Besides, I don't think you have to worry about Scarlett losing. You know how Jon is," he said.

"How I am? Really? Your lack of confidence in me is overwhelming," Jon deadpanned.

"Can't help it. I seriously think you'll let her win," Joe replied.

"Bullshit. She's not winning," Jon snapped.

"Why don't you put your money where your mouth is, darling?" I said.

"Sara!" Colby called out. Sara came back into the ring before I could punch Jon.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Um, can you be the referee, please? These two look like they want to kill each other," Colby said. Bless his heart, the poor guy was worried. Sara looked at both of us. I flashed her a sickly sweet smile while Jon gave her his trademark cocky smile. Sara sighed as she said,

"Okay. Looks like you're up first, Scarlett. Clear the ring, girls! And you guys." The other Divas, along with Colby and Joe, stepped out of the ring.

 _This is going to be so much fun_ , I thought. Jon looked at me like he was thinking the same thing. He took off his shirt, eliciting a few catcalls from the other girls. Okay, okay, I'll admit it – he did look good, but Colby looked better.

"Ready?" Jon asked.

"Only if you are," I replied in my sweetest voice.

"Shake hands, you two," Sara called out.

"This isn't _Ring of Honor_!" I shouted.

"Doesn't matter. Do it anyways."

I held out my hand for Jon and while he did shake it, he also kissed it. I snatched it away, but not before I felt something I only feel with Colby – sparks. _Don't even think about it_ , I thought. I smacked him in the face, prompting a "Whoa!" from everyone around us.

"Ooh. Feisty girl. You Southern girls don't play, do you?" Jon drawled, rubbing his cheek.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Jon gave me a full smile then, which made him look . . . almost nice. Dammit! Focus, Reed! Focus!

"Let's." I held up my hand and Jon reached for it. When he did that, he immediately twisted my arm, sending me to my knees. I refused to scream in pain, though – I would not give him the satisfaction. I caught a glance at Colby, who was holding on to the bottom rope like he was dying to get in the ring. Instead, I gritted my teeth and kicked Jon's legs out from under him. I grinned right before I went for the early pin.

"I'm not going down that easily," Jon said right before he flipped me on my back.

"Neither am I." I delivered a forearm smash which made him roll off me. I rolled onto my stomach and crawled backwards, waiting on Jon to get up. Just as I got to my feet, I saw him coming at me and I wasn't quick enough to stop the clothesline that sent me crashing to the mat.

"Jon, be careful!" I heard Colby yell.

"I am being careful!" Jon hollered back. I saw stars until Jon got on top of me to pin me. I kicked out and shoved him off of me. Jon roughly pulled me up and Irish-whipped me into the ring post that Colby just happened to be standing near. He ran towards me to slam me into the ring post, but I managed to shake the cobwebs out of my head long enough to jump onto the top rope.

"Scarlett, this is the wrong ring to be jumping off of," Sara reminded me.

"I don't care," I told her as I pulled Jon up onto the ropes with me.

"Hello, darling," he said with a laugh.

"Go fuck yourself," I shot back as I attempted to suplex him off the ropes, but he held on. I pulled again, but he held tight to my waist and the rope.

"Let . . . go!" I grunted.

"No!" Jon yelled back. I let go and decided to start kicking him, taking out my frustration on him. I delivered another kick to his midsection that sent him to the mat. I jumped off the mat, delivering what I thought was a beautiful cross-body to him. I went for a pin, but he kicked out. Fuck, he's good. I just need to be better.

"Go for the Southern Cross!" Colby called out.

A devilish grin reached my lips as I decided to go for my submission move, but before I could do that, Jon had gotten up to pull me down, kneeing me in the gut. I groaned as I rolled onto my back.

"Oh, I'm not done with you yet, honey," he whispered in my ear.

He pulled me up and waited until I had gotten my bearings back, and then he picked me up to deliver a German suplex. I tried to struggle out of his arms, but that got me another German suplex. I moaned as I landed on my back and I felt the ring mat being hit repeatedly. I turned my head to see Colby and Joe slapping the mat, cheering for me to get up. I rolled over, feeling dizzy as hell. I slowly got up and turned to face Jon.

"You hit like a bitch," I spat.

"So what's your excuse?" Jon retorted. That pissed me off.

I gave a primal scream as I gave a running clothesline. Unfortunately, Jon rebounded and delivered a clothesline of his own that literally flipped me over. I didn't let it stop me, though. I got up and kicked Jon's legs out from under him, sending him face-first into the mat. Before he could get up, I quickly rolled him over and attempted a pin, but the bastard kicked out.

"You motherfucker," I said as I sat on my knees, waiting for Jon to get up. He sat up on his knees and stared at me before he started laughing.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I shouted. I slapped him, which only made him laugh louder. I went to slap him again but he caught my wrist.

"You know," Jon said as he got up, pulling me with him, "I'm getting real sick and tired of you slapping me." He Irish-whipped me into the post again, but I was one step ahead of him. He ran towards me but I jumped up on to the top turnbuckle again. Jon looked up at me and grinned.

"You think I'm crazy? That's the pot calling the kettle black," he said as he climbed the ropes. I pushed him off and before he knew what was happening, I jumped off delivering a move I've wanted to do for years – the Stratusfaction. We crashed down onto the mat and I quickly pushed Jon down onto his stomach so I could deliver a scissored armbar. Jon cried out in pain and Sara got down on the mat to check on us.

"Do you quit?" Sara asked.

"Fuck no!" Jon shouted. I pulled on his arms again, making him shout, "Fuck!"

"Okay! Okay! I . . . I quit!" Jon shouted.

"Okay, Scarlett, let go of him before you hurt him," Sara said. I let go of him and I watched Jon as he rolled onto his back groaning. Colby slid into the ring and picked me up.

"Aah! Colby! Put me down!" I exclaimed.

"I'm celebrating your win! That was impressive," Colby said as he kissed my temple. He did put me down though. I walked over to Jon, who was still lying on his back panting.

"Hey. Come on. You did good, Good," I said as I held out my hand. Jon looked at my outstretched hand and took it. I pulled him up and he stared at me when he finally got upright. He was still breathing hard. Colby gave him a water bottle and he took it gratefully, finishing off the entire bottle in just a few gulps.

"Are you okay?" I asked. Even though I just kicked his ass, I was kind of concerned about him. I laid my hand on what I'm sure was his sore shoulder.

"Holy shit. Where did you learn that?" Jon asked when he could talk.

"From "The Queen of Wrestling", of course," I said, pointing to Sara.

"That was just a nickname," she said modestly.

"So? You've taught me a lot. Some of it I learned in school, but the rest I've been learning here. Well, Colby might've helped, too," I said with a small laugh.

"I didn't help that much," Colby said.

"I wasn't expecting that. Not from you," Jon told me.

"That's what you get when you underestimate me. You get your ass kicked. Now come on – I'll buy you dinner later, okay?"

"Promise?" Jon said with another one of those full-blown smiles that threw me off-guard.

"I promise. Now go so I can kick these girls' asses." Colby kissed my cheek before helping Jon out of the ring. They walked off to the trainers and I got out of the ring to get me some water.

While I was in the middle of drinking my water, some of the potential Divas came over to me to talk about what had just happened in the ring. Some of them were jealous that I even got to be in the ring with Jon, while some of them were very impressed that I beat him. I was pretty proud of myself, too. Maybe that would get him to shut up about Colby and me.

After my water break, I got back into the ring to finish up my training for the day.

Later that night, I was just getting ready to walk out of the Performance Center to head to Full Sail when Jon stopped me. He seemed . . . subdued, almost. Guess kicking his ass in the ring changed his mind about me.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey. Where's Colby and Joe?"

"Joe went back to Pensacola and Colby went ahead to Full Sail."

"Aww, damn. There goes my ride."

"Um, I can give you a ride over there. Can I say something?"

"Sure. Never stopped you before."

"That was really impressive what you did in the ring today. I mean, you did moves that haven't been seen in years. Whatever Sara and Bill are teaching you here, they need to keep it up. At this rate, you'll be on the main roster contending for the Divas' Championship by Summerslam," Jon told me.

"Really now? You sure you're not just buttering me up so you can start some more shit about me and Colby?"

"No. You changed my mind in the ring, Scarlett. I'm not gonna get in the way of you and Colby. Just . . . just promise me you're not gonna do anything stupid, okay? Please." I bit my lips as I watched him. I noticed that Jon actually had really pretty light blue eyes, like mine. He also had sandy blond hair that was in a mess, or maybe that was because of the shower he took. He also smelled really good and I had the urge to get closer to him so I could find out what it was.

 _Whoa. What is going on with me? Here I am, wanting to smell Jon when Colby's waiting for me at Full Sail? The hell?_ I thought.

"Um, Scarlett? What's going on with you? You look like you're thinking really hard. I can see the smoke coming out of your ears," Jon joked. I smacked him in the chest, which made him groan.

"Oh, come on! I didn't hit you that hard!"

"I'm still a little sore from that ass-kicking you gave me in the ring. Just so you know, I've had worse matches than that."

"I kinda figured that. I noticed the scars on your back and arm. What happened?"

"That is a story I'll have to tell you over dinner sometime. Is that offer still standing?"

"Yea. It is. Okay, come on. Let's go to Full Sail."

Jon and I walked out of the Performance Center and I knew that our relationship would never be the same again. Whether or not we ended up as friends or friends with benefits remains to be seen.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Mismatched Socks and Stolen Kisses**

 **March 7, 2014:**

"What are you two laughing about?" Colby asked when he came into the kitchen. Jon and I were sitting at the kitchen table laughing and talking. It was still weird how Jon and I became friends almost overnight. We found out we were more alike than we thought we could be. Sure, he was a high school dropout and I actually made an effort to go to school, but still – our personalities clicked, and that was a scary thought.

"Scarlett's socks. They don't even fucking match," Jon said with a laugh. He pointed to my socks, which didn't match. One was neon pink with yellow tiger stripes and the other was black with bright purple at the toes and heel. That made Colby laugh a little but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. I think he's still jealous, especially since Jon had crashed on the couch the night before.

"Hey, I bought them like this. It was a pack from Walmart. Sue me," I said.

"No judgment. I shop at Walmart, too," Jon replied.

We kept talking like this until Colby slammed down a coffee mug, making both of us jump.

"What the hell?!" we exclaimed together.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to put it down that hard. It's not broke. See?" Colby said, holding up the coffee mug. It was one of Brielle's and it had the _Sons of Anarchy_ logo on it – she's obsessed with that show.

"Good. Brielle will kill you if you broke her mug," I said.

I cocked my head as I looked at Colby. Jeez, was he pissed off because I let Jon stay the night or because of the way Jon and I were clicking so easily? It wasn't my fault that he and I were alike. Colby turned around to fix his coffee and Jon laid his hand on my knee. I looked over at him and he mouthed, "What's going on with him?" I shrugged because, honestly, I had no idea why Colby just did that. Jon then took his hand, reached underneath my knee and started making circles on the sensitive skin with his fingers. It sent shivers up and down my spine and I definitely started feeling tingly down there. Damn you, Good.

"Stop," I whispered, trying to keep the smile off my face.

"Why? This is fun," he whispered back. I jerked my leg away from him, but he just grabbed my leg around the knee and started tickling me. I couldn't help myself – I started giggling as I tried to stop him from tickling me. That's when he launched a full on tickle assault. We both burst out laughing as he was tickling me, so I decided to give him a little payback. I found his tickle spots and that made him squirm and laugh. It was fun – until I caught Colby's eye. He looked pissed, but he acted like he didn't show it.

"Hey, stop. I have to go to the bathroom now," I said, trying to convey to Jon that he needed to stop before Colby decked him. Jon held up his hands as he let me go. I got up and went to the bathroom. When I came back, I heard them arguing.

"Dude, don't worry about it. Scarlett and I are just friends," I heard Jon saying.

"I thought you hated her. That's the only reason you agreed to come to the Performance Center and talk to the girls. You wanted to goad her into wrestling with you so you could beat her," Colby said.

"So? She beat me instead. She changed my mind about her. I like her now."

That made me smile a little. What I didn't like was how Jon acted around me sometimes – he was overly flirty one minute and the next, he was probably the nicest guy ever. It was weird.

"Well, stop flirting with her, then. You piss me off when you do that," Colby told him.

"I flirt with every girl. Hell, you didn't see me with that tiny girl friend of Scarlett's last night? Brielle? Oh, and don't get me started on Willow. Damn, that girl is sexy as fuck," Jon said. I rolled my eyes at that because he was certainly flirting with them as well last night.

"Yea, and they have boyfriends too. You're going to flirt with the wrong girl one day and your ass is gonna end up in jail again," Colby replied. I could tell that he was trying to talk some sense into his best friend and Jon, stubborn bastard that he is, wasn't listening.

"Well, until that day comes, I'm gonna keep flirting."

"Just don't flirt with Scarlett. It's bad enough that Phil was doing the same thing. I'm kinda glad he's not around anymore."

"Yea, Scarlett told me about that. It was just a kiss and y'all weren't dating, so what's the big deal?"

"Uh, he's dating April. That's the big deal."

"Why the hell are you so intent on people flirting with each other or kissing each other?"

"Because I don't want to get into something with someone and they're doing this with other people. Okay?"

"Oh, you mean like when you were still dating Leighla when you took Scarlett out on your date last month?" That made me gasp but I covered my mouth so they wouldn't hear me.

"Shut the fuck up!" Colby exclaimed. "Scarlett doesn't know about that."

"So, you're getting pissed off at me for flirting with her and you're not even gonna be honest with her about that? What the fuck kind of bullshit is that?"

"Why are you so hell-bent on honesty, Mr. I-flirt-with-every-girl? You're no saint yourself."

"I know I'm not, but I know better than to still be in a relationship with one girl while taking another girl out on her first date she's had in a while."

"Damn, did she tell you everything?"

"Yea. Including about this Kai fucker. And right now, you're acting just like him," Jon snapped.

Oh my God. I didn't know whether to go in there and break it up or stand here and cry. Jon is sticking up for me, of all people. We didn't even like each other 24 hours ago, and now he's willing to go to bat for me? And Colby. Granted, I have not been honest with him about Phil, but hearing how he was still dating Leighla when he took me out on our first date really made me question why I'm still in this relationship. I know he told me they had broken up, but there's a real chance that he could be lying to me.

"Fuck you. I'm nothing like that bastard and you know it," Colby snapped back.

"So be honest with Scarlett, then. Completely honest. She's a good girl. She may a complete bitch sometimes . . ." That made me give Jon a dirty look that he couldn't see. ". . . But she's a nice person. Tell her that you spent part of Valentine's Day with Leighla. Tell her that you and Leighla still fuck sometimes."

What?! Oh, you've got to be kidding me. I was getting pissed off now, but I couldn't let them know that I had heard everything.

"I'm not going to tell her that. It'll break her heart. I made her a promise that I wasn't going to hurt her and I meant it."

"You're hurting her now by not being honest with her. Either break up with Scarlett or stop seeing Leighla. You can't have your cake and eat it, too."

"I've already stopped seeing Leighla. You know this."

"So you should have no problems, then."

"You're right. I don't have a problem. Unless you make problems," Colby said.

"Not trying to. Hey, I'm your friend. We're brothers and brothers look out for each other, okay? Don't fuck this up. Got it?"

"Or what?"

"Or I'll have to kick your ass. Don't fuck shit up. I'm going to go take a shower." I heard Jon walking out of the kitchen and I scrambled to get out of there, but he caught me heading into my room.

"How much of that did you hear?" Jon asked as he closed the door.

I turned around and sighed.

"Everything. I heard everything, Jon," I said, my voice cracking. Jon looked at me sadly.

"Hey, come here." He opened his arms and I went into them willingly, against my better judgment. He held me while I tried not to cry. He rubbed my back as he told me,

"I'm sorry you had to hear that."

I looked up at him and he wiped away some stray tears with his calloused thumbs.

"Is it true?" I wanted to know. Jon held my face as he nodded.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want you to find out that way." I reached up to hold his hands as I replied,

"It's okay. So, why are you all of a sudden so nice to me?"

"I don't know. I like you, I guess? I have no clue."

"Maybe it's because I kicked your ass last night," I told him, sticking my tongue out to punctuate my sentence. Jon stuck his tongue out at me, which made me giggle.

"Good. I can make you laugh, too." I rolled my eyes at him. "Hang on just a second." He let go of my face and walked over to my door. He stuck his head out, as if to check for someone. He closed it back, locked it and quick-walked back over to me.

"What the hell are you doing, Jon?" I asked.

"I have to do this before Colby finds us," he said right before he kissed me. It wasn't a long kiss and it wasn't as passionate as the ones I've had with Phil and Colby, but hot damn, that kiss sent electricity coursing through my body.

"Whoa, what the hell?" I said, pushing him away.

"Sorry. I think," Jon said.

"Didn't you just have an argument with Colby about this?"

"I know, I know. I couldn't stop myself. I promise I won't kiss you again. Not unless you want me to, that is," Jon replied with a smirk on his face.

"I don't want you to kiss me anymore," I told him.

"Are you sure? You look like you do."

Dammit, he was right. I was very tempted to touch my lips just then. I don't know why Jon was making me feel like this, but he needed to stop. I needed to stop before everything came crashing down. Here I was, just learning that my boyfriend still has sex with his ex and he basically cheated on me. Now I'm kissing his best friend? What the hell was going on with me?

"Shut up. You're still a bastard," I told him.

"And you're still a bitch. But you're a pretty cool girl. Those I don't run into very often," he replied.

That made me smile and Jon kissed me again. This kiss lasted a little longer that time and he slipped his tongue into my mouth. I moaned softly as I felt my self-control leaving me. I slid my tongue into his mouth as my fingers went into his hair. Alarm bells were going off in my head and I tore myself away from him. It felt like I had just had ice water poured all over me and I came up gasping for air.

"This is so wrong. Get out of my room, Jon. Please," I begged him.

"Okay. Just one more?" Jon pleaded. I groaned.

"Okay. One more. Make it quick," I said. Oh my God, I can't believe I just did that. Jon gave me one quick kiss before leaving my room. Once he left, I ran my hands through my hair. Holy fuck. I am going to be in so much trouble. I didn't know why I let Jon kiss me, but . . . I liked it, actually. I touched my lips and closed my eyes.

Great. So I have sex with Phil, date Colby and now I'm kissing Jon. I have got to stop this before I end up doing something I regret or turn into a slut. Kai would probably have a duck fit if he saw how I was acting now. I remembered how he hated it when the other guys at school would flirt with me.

 _"Kai, what is wrong with you?!" I shouted as he dragged me off, probably to reprimand me again._

 _"Those guys were flirting with you again. Didn't you tell them to leave you alone?" he asked as he kept his grip on my arm._

 _"Let go of me, you bastard!" I said, yanking my arm out of his grip._

 _"You didn't tell them to leave you alone, did you?"_

 _"They're just being friendly, Kai. I'm allowed to have friends. Besides, I don't say anything to you when these thirsty bitches are all over you. You want me to start acting jealous? Because I can do that."_

 _"No, because green isn't your color."_

 _"It certainly isn't yours, either, darling," I retorted._

 _"Okay. Alright. I'm sorry," Kai apologized. "I won't do that anymore. I'm sorry, baby."_

 _"You said that last time. You ended up giving the last guy that was supposedly flirting with me a concussion."_

 _"He should've tucked his head in when he came off the top rope. Now, come on. Let's get back to practice. And don't talk to any of the guys unless they're the teachers."_

 _"As long as you don't talk to any of the girls," I told him._

God, I hated how jealous Kai could get sometimes. Great. Now I'm thinking about the ex that caused my miscarriage and left me for dead after I get done making out with my boyfriend's best friend. Fucking A.

I was still sitting on my bed thinking about everything when someone knocked on my door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Willow. Can I come in?"

"Uh, yea. Sure," I called out. Willow came in and typical best friend that she is, she immediately saw something was wrong.

"What's going on with you, Scar? You've been in here for almost an hour and you weren't in the shower. What's wrong?" She pushed some of my hair behind my ear and held my hand. I told her what had just happened between Jon and I.

"Oh my God. Not again!" Willow complained.

"No, no, no! Don't worry. It's not gonna happen again, I promise. I think I can trust Jon not to do anything," I told her.

"Yea, but can you trust yourself? Remember Phil?"

"I know that, Willow. But I'm not gonna jump into bed with him. I promise. Besides, I was single at that time. There shouldn't be anything wrong with that."

"I know. But what about Colby?"

"What about him?" I asked.

"You weren't the only one listening to their conversation," she admitted. I furrowed my brows as I tried to remember seeing Willow earlier.

"I was outside. I heard every word and I was so, so tempted to go in there and rip that blonde streak out of Colby's head. I can't believe he's going to keep this going, especially now that you know."

"Um, he doesn't know that I know."

"He will soon, and I promise you, he will regret it. I'm also kind of wondering why Jon is all of a sudden being so friendly towards you. Other than the fact that he wants to get in your pants," Willow said.

"Willow!" I gasped. "No, he doesn't! At least, I don't think so anyways."

"Please. He's so flirty. Of course he wants to get in your pants. He just wants to wait until Colby's not in the picture for that to happen," Willow pointed out.

I hated to admit it, but Willow was right. I think the reason Jon was doing this was because he wanted to have sex with me, but I also thought there was something else there, too. Maybe he really liked me.

"I don't know. I really don't. But I think he knows better. He may act like a huge flirt, but I think there's a genuinely good guy underneath all that. Well, at any rate, he's been more honest with me than Colby has," I told her.

"That's true. He has and that is a scary thought," Willow remarked. I nodded in agreement.

"So, what are you going to do?" Willow asked a few minutes later.

I bit my lip as I thought about it. I knew I should talk to Colby and probably break up with him, but I didn't want to. Why, I didn't know. I know that I was being stupid by not going into that kitchen and confronting him, but silly little girl that I am, I didn't. I told Willow as much and she replied,

"Well, whatever you decide to do, I'll be right behind you. And if you decide that Colby's a lying, cheating bastard, then I'll have my lucky baseball bat in hand."

My eyes went wide at that. Willow played softball in high school and they even let her on the baseball team – hell, she was better than the majority of the guys on the team. She had this bat that her parents gave to her when she first started playing ball and she's used it all through school. She's also threatened (and used) the bat on people that have hurt her or me. I remember one time she used it on Kai. He had to sit out of practice for a few weeks because she had busted his kneecap. We were both surprised he was still able to walk, much less wrestle after that.

"Oh, not the lucky bat!" I groaned.

"Oh, yea. The lucky bat. Matter of fact . . . come on."

"Where are we going?" She didn't answer, but I followed her out of the room. We walked to her room, where she rummaged around until she found her lucky bat. I rolled my eyes at her and she grinned.

"Where's Colby at?" Willow asked.

"Far as I know, still in the kitchen," I told her.

"Come on, then."

We walked to the kitchen, Willow holding the bat behind her back. I loved my best friend, but she scared the hell out of me sometimes.

"Colby?" Willow called out.

"I'm in here!" Colby hollered back. We walked into the kitchen, where he was eating breakfast and playing on his phone.

"What's up?" he asked. I stepped out from behind Willow and walked over to him. I kissed him on the top of his head as I wrapped my arms around him.

"Willow wants to talk to you for a bit. Okay, sweetie?" I said. Colby looked up at me and the expression on his face almost made me laugh.

"Uh, o . . . kay. What's . . . up, Willow?" Colby said tentatively. That's when she took the bat from behind her back. It was all black, like Sting's **_(foreshadowing? Dun, dun, dun!)_** and her parents had her name engraved on it. Willow joked that when she hit the balls or the people who hurt us, they'd never forget her name after that. There were two things on it that Willow was proud of – Sting's and San Francisco Giants' Buster Posey's autographs.

"Um, Willow? What are you doing with that?" Colby asked as he got up from the table. He already had his hands up in a defensive manner, but that wouldn't have helped once Willow got started. Jon had walked into the kitchen just then, shirtless and dripping wet. Of course, he would have on nothing but a towel. _You did that on purpose, you little shit_ , I thought.

"Whoa! Okay, then. I'm gonna leave y'all to it," Jon said once he saw the bat. Willow turned around and raised her eyebrows. It just made Jon smirk.

"I think you need to go over to your best friend, Mr. Good," Willow said in her sweetest voice. Jon's crystal blue eyes went wide and he opened his mouth to probably say a smartass comment, but thought better of it as he high-tailed it over to us.

"Your friend scares me," Jon whispered in my ear.

"She scares me sometimes, too," I whispered back.

"Okay. Uh, Willow? What are you doing with the bat?" Jon asked. I facepalmed at his stupid question.

"This bat and I have had a nice, long relationship. It's led my teams to state championships in baseball and softball. I've even had to use it on people who have hurt me, Scarlett, Brielle and Tucker. I haven't gone to jail yet, which is lucky for me, I suppose. I've named her Lucille."

"You didn't do that until you read the new _Walking Dead_ comics," I pointed out, but immediately shut up when I saw the murderous look in her eyes.

"The point is, Lucille and I are really good together. It is all black, like Sting's. Even got his autograph. But there's one other thing on it – my name. Once I use this baby on you, you won't forget my name."

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you have it," Jon said. I rolled my eyes and sighed. Jon was going to get in trouble if he kept talking like that.

"Colby." Willow said, holding out the bat so the top of it was at Colby's eye level. His eyes went wide when he saw it. "I've heard some things about you that I don't like. This is your first, last, and only warning. If I find out, whether from Scarlett or Jon, that you have done something to hurt my sister in any way whatsoever, whether by cheating on her, breaking up with her, or just being a complete asshole to her, this bat is going across your face. I'm a very good batter and I never miss my target. So, you hurt her, I hurt you. Got it?"

She said all of this in a calm, clear voice. Colby gulped loudly and let out a shaky breath. I looked up at him and while I wanted to laugh, I knew she was serious as a heart attack. Willow would go to any lengths to protect her friends, and when it came to me, she would move heaven and earth.

"Yes, ma'am. I . . . understand," Colby said in a shaky voice. Jon started laughing then, but he immediately stopped when Willow walked closer to him, the end of the bat touching his nose.

"That goes for you, too, Jon. I don't know what Scarlett did to you last night in that ring, but you better not even think about trying to hook up with her. If you plan on being her friend, don't even think about hurting her. I promise you you'll regret it. Am I clear?"

Jon reached up with one hand and pushed the bat away.

"Crystal," he replied. Willow dropped the bat and the guys breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn't going to use them for batting practice.

"Good. Now, I'm going to put this away. Don't make me have to use it on either one of you." Willow turned her head from side to side, cracking her neck before she left the kitchen. When she got out of earshot, Colby ran his hands through his two-toned hair while Jon shook his head.

"Holy . . . shit," they said in unison.

"What? She's not like this all the time, guys. Trust me, she's pretty nice most of the time," I told them.

"With that bat in her hand, she was anything but nice," Jon said. Colby looked over at him and threw up his hands like "are you kidding me?"

"What?" he asked.

"You're naked," I pointed out. Jon looked down at his waist, where the towel was just barely hanging off his hips. Fuck me.

"No, I'm not. I still have this towel wrapped around my waist," Jon pointed out.

"Dude, go put some clothes on," Colby commanded.

"Why? You've seen me naked before," he retorted.

"Not in front of my girlfriend, you're not. Go put some damn clothes now!" Colby shouted as he pointed towards the exit. Jon shrugged and walked off, but not before he unwrapped the towel. For a few seconds, I was shocked that Dean fucking Ambrose was butt-naked in my kitchen, and then I had to hide my rapidly reddening face. Colby groaned and walked off, leaving me alone with a very naked Jon Good.

"Please go put some clothes on," I said from behind my hands.

"All you had to was ask, darling. Do me a favor?" I took my hands off of my face and tried desperately not to look down.

"What?" I said.

"Look down," he replied with a grin. "You know you want to." That made me blush even more and I covered my face with my hands again. I did sneak a peek, though – sue me. Jon walked off to go put his clothes on and no, he didn't put the towel back around his waist. I got a very nice view of his ass as he walked away and he left me standing there feeling just as weird as he had after he kissed me. Brielle and Tucker came into the kitchen just then with confused looks on their faces.

"Why is Jon naked?" Tucker wanted to know.

"Because he's a smartass bastard, that's why," I told them.

"Well, he certainly looks damn sexy, that's for sure," Tucker said.

"Oh, yes. That man is trouble and he knows it," Brielle added. I rolled my eyes.

"He's very good at causing trouble, but he's good at sticking up for people. Did you hear what Willow did to them a few minutes ago?"

"I saw her walking down the hall holding the bat, so I was wondering about that. Why's my mug out?" Brielle asked.

"Colby was drinking out of it. I'll have to tell y'all later on, when he's not here."

"Does it have anything to do with Jon going into your room earlier?" Tucker supplied.

"Shut up, dude! He doesn't know about that," I said, trying to shush him.

"Ohh. Okay, then. I guess we'll go talk to Willow about it later. What are we doing today?" Tucker wanted to know.

"Well, I have a day off today, tomorrow and Sunday, so we'll just wing it. I know tonight we're gonna watch _Smackdown_ and after that, I don't know. You know what we haven't done in a while?"

"What?" they said in unison.

"Go out to a club. Jon and Colby aren't leaving until tomorrow morning, so we should go out and have some fun tonight. What do y'all think?"

"Let's do it. I'll call Aspen and see if he wants to come," Tucker said.

"I'll ask Joe if he wants to come, too!" Brielle chirped. I swear, she was the only girl that didn't need coffee to wake up in the morning. They got their breakfast and then ran off to call their boyfriends. I went to go find mine. He was in my room, tying his shoelaces.

"Where you going?" I asked as I walked in.

"Going to fit in some Crossfit today. Wanna come with? Jon's going too, but don't worry about him," Colby told me.

"Sure. Let me get dressed. Be warned – I've never done it before, so go easy on me, will ya?"

"I don't know. You look like you can handle it."

"Probably, but still. Take it easy on me."

"Hey, I won't be teaching you that. I'm not certified to do it, honey. You'll have to get one of the instructors to help you out."

"That's okay." I kissed Colby before heading to my dresser to get some workout clothes. I walked into my bathroom, got changed and came out.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yea. Let me get my bag. Are we going in your car or my truck?"

"Let's see what Jon wants to do."

"Probably streak through my house again," I said sarcastically. That made Colby laugh and I couldn't help but laugh along with him.

"Seriously, how do you deal with him on an almost daily basis?"

"I have no fucking clue sometimes. I couldn't stand him when we started FCW together, but he grew on me."

"He's growing on me, too. I like him, against my better judgment," I said.

"That's how he gets the girls. Some of the FCW girls weren't all that interested in him – the girls like Trinity, Nikki, Brie, and April, but some of them had huge crushes on him. They followed him around like lovesick puppies and he ate it up. Be careful around him, darling," Colby said as he walked out of my bedroom.

"So what's your excuse?" I asked as we were walking down the hallway.

"I didn't have any of the girls following me around," Colby said.

"Bullshit. Yes, you did. You had to have them falling all over themselves for your attention."

"Some did, but I was with Leighla at the time, so they didn't really do anything to me." I was silent as I digested this information. We walked into the living room, where Jon was waiting for us.

"Took you long enough. Couldn't you have saved the nookie for later?" he joked.

"Shut up, Jon. Besides, we haven't even had sex yet," I blurted out.

"Did you have to tell him that?" Colby asked.

"Sorry."

"So, whose vehicle are we taking?" I wanted to know, trying to divert attention away from us.

"How 'bout yours?" Colby suggested.

"Sure. Be prepared to listen to country music, though," I told them.

"Fine with me," Jon said. Colby just shrugged because he was still trying to get used to listening to it. We walked out the door and to my truck. We put our stuff in the back and Jon immediately called shotgun.

"Dammit, Jon! I always ride shotgun!" Colby complained as he got in the backseat.

"Yea, well, too bad. You weren't fast enough," Jon shot back. I rolled my eyes at them as I got into my seat. I cranked up the truck and let it run for a bit, letting it warm up.

"Okay, y'all. Be nice," I told them as I checked my email and social media sites on my phone.

"I'm always nice, babe," Colby said as he leaned up to kiss me on the cheek.

"Compared to me, he's a fucking angel," Jon retorted.

"Eh. I guess so. Hey, we should take a selfie," Colby suggested. Jon looked at Colby like he had just grown another head.

"Yea. We should do that! I mean, it's not like you're gonna see it online anyways," I told Jon. He shrugged and leaned in for the picture. Unfortunately, both of the boys decided to lean in and kiss my cheeks.

"Aww, come on, guys!" I exclaimed after I snapped the picture.

"What? It's a good picture," Colby said.

"Yea, we look good in it," Jon laughed. I rolled my eyes again and uploaded it with the caption and hashtags "Heading to a round of #Crossfit with these two weirdos Lol wwerollins thedeanambrose"

"We're not weirdos!" Colby complained when the notification came through on his phone. "Well, I'm not. I don't know about Jon."

"Hey! I resent that comment," Jon shot back.

"You resent a lot of things."

"Boys! Play nice!" I warned.

"Okay, okay. We'll play nice, Miss Reed," they said like two little boys that had just been scolded. I shook my head at them and put the truck into reverse. I drove off to a local Crossfit gym, using the directions Colby had given me.

"So, Jon, what kind of music do you like?" I asked.

"Um, I kinda lean more towards classic rock. I like some of the newer stuff, but not all of it."

"So, you wouldn't be listening to any of Colby's stuff?"

"Not really. Definitely wouldn't listen to Joe's music, either," Jon replied.

"Which is . . .?"

"Rap. Hip-hop. Can't stand it."

"I like some of it. Not all of it, though. I mostly stick with country and pop."

"Why?"

"Don't ask, dude. She's a little weird. Not wired right," Colby said.

"Hey! I resent that comment," I replied, mimicking Jon's earlier remark. Jon glared at me and I had to grin at that.

"So, why don't we listen to some of your music then?" Jon suggested.

"Okay. Sure. Hand me my phone so I can unlock it."

"Why? Do you have an embarrassing password or something?"

"Just hand me the damn phone, Jon." He handed me the phone and I unlocked it. I opened my Spotify and found a country music playlist.

"Ooh! Luke's got a new Spring Break album!" I exclaimed happily. I clicked on it and started grooving to "She Get Me High", rolling down the windows and dancing as well as I could in my seat.

" _Find me a place in the sand_

 _Clean these old shades off_

 _Damn, y'all don't understand_

 _All she wants to do is dance_

 _She get me high_

 _She get me low_

 _She got the key to this old bronco_

 _In her bare feet, or in her high heels_

 _No matter how she moving_

 _It's all the same thrill_

 _On top of my Yeti_

 _On an old boat dock_

 _Standing in the river on an old flint rock_

 _Clouds roll by_

 _She get me high_

 _Don't nobody block my view_

 _Hell you can find a spot and watch too_

 _Watch how she makes this beach_

 _Light up like the sky on New Year's Eve_

 _Love it when she's locked on me_

 _….._

 _She said, "Boy, it's time to take me home"_

 _Don't even grab your stuff_

 _Just lay me on down_

 _Need the pool and moonshine_

 _You 'bout to be all mine_ "

"That man sure knows how to sing," I remarked when the song was over.

"He sounds like any other country singer singing about having a good time with a girl," Colby said.

"Hey! Don't talk about my cousin like that. He's married to a very nice lady. Sure, he's a huge flirt, but all guys from Lee County are like that. Trust me, I speak from experience," I told them.

"He's your cousin?!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Yes. He is. He's a distant cousin, but he's my cousin. I can't wait to meet him in a few days!" I squealed, making Jon stick his finger in his ear and wiggle it.

"You haven't met the guy?" Colby wanted to know.

"Well, no. He's not in Lee County very often. But he is performing in Panama City for his Spring Break concert and I can't wait for that," I said excitedly.

"You're gonna go to Panama City with all those college kids just to see someone perform?" Jon asked.

"Uh, yes. It's no different than someone coming from, say, Paris or London, to New Orleans next month to see you guys perform at Wrestlemania. Besides, that won't be the only time I'm going to see him. I'm going next month to see him at Stagecoach Festival."

"Stagecoach? What the hell is that?"

"It's like Coachella or Warped Tour, but for country music. At least until the CMA Fest in June. It's a three-day event and while they will have some big names like Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line, they're also gonna have some, like, local bands and people that do the independent scene."

"Ah, okay. Sounds interesting. When is it?"

"I just told you – last weekend in April! Pay attention, Jon!" I shouted as I reached over to Gibbs slap him upside the head. **_(Author's note: if you've seen NCIS, you know a Gibbs slap is when Gibbs slaps someone upside the head, usually Tony)_**

That made Colby burst out into laughter as Jon glared at me.

"Damn, that hurts," Jon remarked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Okay, so you're telling me sewing your own nipple back on hurts less than a tiny girl smacking you upside the head?" Colby asked.

"You sewed your own nipple back on?" I wanted to know. Wow. That was certainly an interesting tidbit.

"I'll tell you over that dinner you owe me."

"Whoa. You owe him dinner?" Colby asked.

"Uh, yea. Remember, I kicked his ass last night, remember? I told him I'd buy him dinner. Ya know, to make up for it. I did feel bad about it," I told him.

"You feel bad about beating me in the ring last night?" Jon wanted to know.

"Don't get used to it, Good. It's a onetime thing. I promise you I won't feel bad next time."

"I would hope not. We're here," Jon said. I parked and we got out.

"Time to find out what the big deal about Crossfit is," I remarked as we walked into the gym.

"Only the best thing ever!" Colby exclaimed happily. I rolled my eyes at him. It was like he was a kid in a candy store or Brielle in a bookstore. I love reading, but she has to have a new book at least every week, even though she hasn't finished the other 5 million books she currently owns. **_(Author's note: aren't we all the same way?)_**

"I love this gym," Colby remarked.

"You love all Crossfit gyms," I replied.

"I know. They're awesome," he said with a smile.

"Hey, welcome to Crossfit Fire Base. I'm Lucas. Is this your first time here?" a man asked.

"Hey, I'm Scarlett. This is my first time, but not theirs," I said, indicating Jon and Colby.

"Hey, guys! Welcome back! Glad to have you with us," Lucas said, shaking hands with the guys.

"Glad to be back, Lucas. Jon and I are gonna go ahead and get started on our workout. I'll see you in a bit," Colby said, kissing my cheek. I kissed his cheek as I replied,

"If you're not too busy scraping me off the floor when this is over." That made him laugh as he walked off.

"Alright, since this is your first time here, let's go ahead and get you signed in. Have you ever done Crossfit before, Scarlett?" Lucas asked as we walked to an office.

"Nope. I don't do conventional workouts. I mostly do yoga, dance, swimming and the workout video games that Xbox offers. Oh, and wrestling, of course."

"Well, this isn't what you call conventional. While it is another way to get and stay fit, it kicks your ass, as it should. Most workouts, you can be one and done. Crossfit? Not so much. Here you go. Go ahead and fill out this form. Do you have a credit card to pay?"

"Uh . . . no? I was thinking I'd try it first and see if I want to come back before paying? Or can I not do that," I wanted to know.

"We usually don't do it, but I guess I can let you slide for today." I nodded and set out filling out the form. A few minutes later, I handed the clipboard back to Lucas and I was ready to go do my first Crossfit workout.

 **One hour later:**

"Ow. Ow. Ow. Fuck. Shit. Fuck," I moaned as I limped out of the gym. I looked up at Colby and Jon, who were just walking without a care in the world. Assholes.

"You okay, Scarlett?" Jon asked.

"Fuck no. Ow."

"It'll get better as you get used to it. Especially the running part," Colby said.

"Fuck running. Fuck Crossfit. I'm going to Burger King and getting a grilled chicken sandwich, large fries, a large soda and I dare either one of you to judge me. Then I'm going to Dairy Queen – as soon as I find one – and getting ice cream. You don't like it, tough shit. Ow." The guys just laughed at me and I had just enough strength left to punch them both in the gut. They doubled over, clutching their stomachs and it made me giggle a little.

"Fuck. Don't make me laugh. It hurts," I groaned.

"Next time, don't punch us for your amusement," Jon said sarcastically. They straightened up and we continued walking to my truck. I unlocked the door so we could put our stuff in and I climbed into my truck, cursing and groaning the entire time.

"You shouldn't drive such a big truck, darling," Colby told me as I started up the truck.

"Fuck you. I'll drive what I want to," I snapped.

"You tend to act like you're in an episode of _Spartacus_ when you're sore," Jon pointed out. I looked up into the rearview mirror quizzically.

"Huh?" I asked confusedly.

"I mean, you constantly dropping F-bombs. I counted four sentences, just in the last few minutes alone, that started with fuck. I don't even say fuck that much."

"Fuck you," I retorted, flipping him off.

"Ooh. Don't threaten me with a good time. I might have to take you up on it, little girl," Jon said smoothly. That made Colby turn around in his seat and glare at him. At least, I assume he was glaring at him – I was trying to focus on the road and think about anything but the pain that was currently shooting sparks all over my body. Hell, wrestling doesn't even hurt this much. I found a Burger King a few minutes later.

"Drive-through or go inside?" I asked as I pulled into the parking lot.

"Drive-through. I don't feel like taking pictures and signing autographs today," Jon said.

"What he said," Colby added.

"Okay. Do y'all know what you want?" I asked.

"Uh, no. Drive up and give us a minute," Colby said. I groaned as I pulled up to the drive-through lane. A few minutes later, we had our orders and were in the midst of stuffing our faces as I drove back to my house.

"So, when do y'all have to leave?" I wanted to know.

"In the morning. I think around 5:30. I kinda don't want to, though," Colby said.

"Why not?"

"I don't wanna leave you."

"Oh, gag me with a spoon," Jon groaned as he rolled his eyes.

"Why? Are you uncomfortable with mushy stuff?" I asked.

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"Um, how does Renée feel about this?"

"She's fine with it. I think."

"Oh my God, you're so lame, Jon. You know that?"

"Not as lame as you, kid."

I flipped him off again, which just made him laugh. I glanced over at Colby, who just rolled his eyes at the two of us. I wonder if he was still jealous. I reached over to hold his hand and he smiled at me. I kept driving until we got home.

"I can't wait to watch _Smackdown_ tonight," I told them as I was getting my bags out of my truck.

"Why's that?" Jon asked.

"Well, I wanna see if you guys made up. No, I don't read spoilers. I'm not that huge of a mark. I do like reading some of the articles on _Bleacher Report_ and _Cageside Seats_ so I can read the funny comments. I've wasted so much time reading those."

"Well, we're not fighting right now, are we?" Colby said.

"Duh! I know you guys are best friends outside the ring, but I wanna see if Seth Rollins makes up with The Shield or turns on them."

"Why would he turn on us?" Jon asked.

"Just a feeling I've always had about Seth Rollins. Monday just kinda proved it for me. Sooner or later, Seth will turn on you guys." Colby looked away then, almost as if he was contemplating it.

"Nah. I don't think so. I think The Shield's gonna have a good four, five more years," Jon said confidently.

"Yea, but how many more three-man tag teams are we gonna go up against? We've literally beaten everyone in the business that can and is wrestling," Colby remarked.

"Not Brock. We haven't faced Brock yet."

"Please. Brock wouldn't go up against us. He's not that dumb."

"No, but he might be," I pointed out. We walked in the house to find we had it to ourselves. Brielle, Willow and Tucker were at school.

"Hey, I have an idea I wanna run by y'all," I said as I emerged from my room a few minutes later.

"What is it?" the guys asked together.

"Jinx! Ha ha. Anyways, I was thinking that we go out to a club. I haven't gone to a club in a while and I don't know if you guys have gone out and just let loose." Jon and Colby looked at each other before looking back at me.

"You know, that's not a bad idea. I kinda wanna head out tonight. What do you think?" Jon said.

"You know we have to leave at 5:30 the next morning," Colby pointed out.

"So? We can still have fun. It's not like we're gonna be out all night. We'll come home to get some sleep before we leave. And I promise not to drink tequila tonight, either."

"Oh, thank God. The last time you drank tequila, you almost got arrested."

"Can I ask why?" I asked uncomprehendingly.

"Tequila makes me wanna do two things; they both start with the letter F," Jon explained. I stared at him blankly for a second and then my mouth went into a round O of comprehension.

"I know. My stepdad's the same way. You two are a lot alike, Jon," I told him.

"Really? How's that?"

"Well, other than the fact you're both complete smartasses, you both have adverse reactions to tequila and you have the same birthday. Well, you're younger than he is, but still. I'm not sure of any differences between the two of you. Oh, wait! Besides the fact that he's from Georgia and you're from Ohio, and the fact that you can be a real dick sometimes."

"I'd be offended by that, but I've been called worse. Is your stepdad a high school dropout?"

"No. My other dad is, though. I don't wanna talk about him, though. I will say this – that guy is a huge asshole and he's from Cincinnati, too."

"Let me guess. He walked out on your family, too. I know how it goes. My dad's currently sitting in prison. We don't talk."

Whoa. This just got a little serious here. Jon's opening up to me about something deeply personal.

"I'm sorry. Did your mom ever meet another guy?"

"Don't know. I don't talk to her, either," Jon said.

"That sucks. I don't know what I'd do if my mom and I stopped talking," I replied.

"Um, do you guys want me to leave you alone?" Colby asked. Oh. Whoops. Forgot he was there for a sec. I looked over at him and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Colby. I kinda forgot that you were there for a minute. I'm sorry." His expression softened as he replied,

"It's okay, babe. I'll just cough or something next time."

"So . . . about the club tonight? I'm sure y'all can travel hungover."

"I'm in," Colby said.

"Me too. So when do we go?" Jon asked.

"I was thinking after _Smackdown_ went off tonight. No one really shows up at clubs 'til like 10 or so, anyways," I told them.

"Okay. That sounds good to me. What about everyone else? Are they coming, too?" Colby asked.

"Yeah, they are. I think Joe and Mattias are meeting us there at the club."

"Okay, until that happens, I'm gonna go ahead and order a pizza so we can watch _Smackdown_ ," Jon said.

"I can't wait to see what happens," I replied with a smile.

We spent the rest of the afternoon goofing off. Well, Jon and I did – Colby just stayed quiet and watched us as we played video games and had stupid little competitions, like who could fit the most marshmallows in their mouths and stupid shit like that. I beat him, though, which caused him to start making sexual innuendos.

Finally, it was time for _Smackdown_. The pizza got there during the opening theme and Jon brought it in. I inhaled deeply.

"Mmm. That's the best smell in the world," I sighed as Jon set the pizzas down.

"Really? Pizza is the best smell in the world?" Colby asked.

"Well, yea. The way you smell is up there, too," I told him. Jon stuck his finger in his mouth and mimed gagging.

"Oh shut up, Jon," I snapped as I threw a pillow at him. It hit him square in the face, making me double over with laughter. Colby started laughing as well and pretty soon, Jon was laughing.

"You're gonna pay for that later, sweetheart," Jon threatened.

"No, she's not," Colby shot back.

"And why not? She could kick my ass if she wanted to."

"So? You're not doing anything to my girlfriend, Jon," Colby snapped. I leaned over on the couch to wrap my arms around Colby's shoulders as I whispered in his ear,

"Hey. Calm down. I'm not gonna let Jon do anything to me, okay?" I rubbed his arms up and down as I tried to get him to calm down. I mentally sighed and rolled my eyes. Sometimes Colby's jealousy wasn't so cute. Sometimes I just wanted to punch him for it. Colby was an idiot sometimes and you know what? He's my idiot, though.

"Sorry, Colby. I'm not gonna make Scarlett pay for anything . . . except my dinner, maybe," Jon said. He gave me a little smile that not only told me he was sorry, but that he was definitely going to make me pay later. I kissed Colby on the cheek, keeping my eyes on Jon.

"Fine. Let's watch _Smackdown_."

The first thing up was The Shield. I ate my pizza as I watched Jon talk about how he couldn't "tolerate getting stabbed in the back by someone I trust." I pretty much ignored both guys until the segment was over because holy crap, I wasn't expecting that at all really. I gasped as I watched them fight on screen and actually bit my finger when they got back up and stared each other down. I breathed a sigh of relief when they did their fist bump and I laughed when I saw Jon cussing through the end of the segment.

"So, what'd you think?" Colby asked.

"I'm . . . shocked, really. Holy shit, I thought you guys were gonna break up and thank Jebus you didn't!"

"And what if we did?" Jon wanted to know. He reached for a wing and demolished it.

"It would suck, honestly. You guys are awesome and with Wrestlemania right around the corner, splitting up would be the worst thing for y'all."

"But like I said, we'd be fine, Scarlett," Colby told me. **_(Author's note: Foreshadowing - dun dun dun)_**

"I know. But I and all of your fans don't want The Shield to split up."

"I ain't going nowhere. The Shield isn't going anywhere," Jon proclaimed.

"Damn straight. I'm not about to leave them."

I nodded and turned my attention back to Smackdown and my pizza.

 ** _2 Hours Later:_**

"Hey, are y'all ready?" I called out.

"Almost!" Jon replied. He stepped out of the bathroom looking like . . . well, his usual self. Leather jacket, t-shirt, jeans and boots.

"Good to go?" I asked.

"Yup. Where's your boyfriend?"

"Bathroom. He'll be out in a minute."

"Okay. Can I just say that you look damn good in that?" Jon told me.

"Tell me something I don't know," I replied. **_(Author's note: photo of outfit in media!)_**

Colby walked out of my bedroom a few minutes later and his jaw dropped when he saw me.

"Holy . . . shit. Isn't she gorgeous?" he asked Jon.

"When isn't she?" Jon replied, making me blush.

"Gah. Stop it, you two!" I exclaimed as I covered my face with my hands. I was grinning like a moron the entire time, though.

"Hey, guys! We're ready!" Willow called out. She, Brielle and Tucker walked out and I'll be damned if Willow didn't match me.

"Shit. We did it again, didn't we?" she asked as she inspected my outfit.

"Yes. Yes we did. And I'm not changing," I told her.

"I'm not either. I look damn good in this outfit."

"Why don't you go put a crop top on, Willow?" Brielle offered. Tucker murmured agreement.

"You could keep the pants on, but put a different top on and a jacket," I told her. Willow growled at me and turned on her heel to go change. She came out a few minutes later wearing a cute crop top and a gray leather jacket.

"Aww, now you match me!" Jon mock-whined. Willow flipped him off, making all of us laugh.

"So, are the guys meeting us at the club?" I wanted to know. Mattias and Joe had had a house show earlier.

"They will when they get back from their show," Brielle told us. I nodded.

"Come on, let's go!"

"This is gonna be a long night, isn't it?" Tucker asked.

 ** _So that is Chapter 18! I'm going to pick it up when they get to the club in the next chapter! Thanks for reading!_**


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Na Na**

 **Later that night:**

All of us were piled into my truck, jamming out to whatever we decided to play. Willow and Brielle were talking the guys' ears off about anything they could think of. Tucker was busy texting Aspen, and I was driving along.

"So where are we going?" Jon asked.

"This club called OneEighty Grey Goose Lounge. It's supposed to be really hot and apparently, space is limited," I replied.

"So, it's a reservations type club? Eh, I don't know, man. That sounds a little too uppity for me."

"They have Jack Daniels," I told him.

"Damn. Sold!" Jon exclaimed. I rolled my eyes as I laughed. "They got any other boys?"

"Uh… they have Jonny Walker Blue and Black Label, and they have Captain Morgan. Some tequila, too."

"No! No tequila for Jon," Colby yelled out from the backseat.

Jon pouted for a bit before replying,

"He's right. I can't have tequila."

"Oh, yea, that's right. You'll either end up in jail or in bed with some random woman."

"Pretty much."

"Okay, we're here!" I shouted.

"Damn, that was a short drive," Willow remarked.

"Didn't take but seven minutes," I replied.

"You know what this reminds me of?" Willow asked.

"Home, where every destination took 15 minutes to get to, no matter where you were at?"

"Yup."

"Everyone got their tickets?" I asked. They all replied and Colby said,

"If they won't let y'all in, maybe Jon and I can try?"

"Dude, no. I just came to party, not get recognized," Jon replied.

"It's okay, Colby. I don't think we'll need you guys to help. It's the thought that counts, so thank you," I said as I kissed him on the cheek.

We walked up to the club's entrance, which was packed.

"Are you sure this was a good idea to come to this club?" Brielle asked.

"Yea. I mean, it's not that bad. Seems nice," I replied. Brielle shrugged and took her phone out. We slowly inched our way up to the front, where the bouncer was checking for tickets and ID's. We presented the tickets and ID's to him and almost didn't get in until he got a good look at Jon and Colby.

The bouncer jerked his head towards the door, indicating we could go in. Once we were in, the girls headed straight for the floor while Tucker went with Jon to the bar, leaving Colby and I alone amongst a sea of bodies.

"Wanna dance?" I asked. Colby nodded and led me to the dance floor, where the DJ was blasting out "Alive" by Krewella.

" _Let's make this fleeting moment last forever_

 _So, tell me what you're waiting for?_

 _I'm gonna keep it frozen here forever_

 _There's no regretting anymore_

 _It's worth the wait, even so far away_

 _I'm making the night mine until the day I die_

 _No lights to brake when you're hanging by fate_

 _You know what it feels like when you're dancing blind_

 _All alone, just the beat inside my soul_

 _Take me home, where my dreams are made of gold_

 _In the zone where the beat is uncontrolled_

 _I know what it feels like_

 _Come on make me feel alive_

 _Feel alive, feel alive, feel alive, feel alive, feel alive_

 _Feel alive, feel alive, feel alive, feel alive, feel alive_

 _Feel alive, feel alive, feel alive, feel alive, feel alive_

 _Meet me under shining lights_

 _I've been waiting right here all my life_

 _Feelings you can't deny that you're living, open up your eyes_

 _And I just wanna sink into your crazy laughter_

 _Come on make me feel until the pain don't matter_

 _Every second here makes my heart beat faster_

 _Finally think I found what I'm chasing after"_

We danced until the song was over and then we made our way to the bar. Jon was already working on his first bottle of Jack Daniels.

"Jon, are you sure you need to be drinking the entire bottle?" I asked. I mean, I can hold my liquor pretty well, but an entire bottle of Jack? That's just asking for trouble. Then again, trouble seems to be Jon's middle name.

"I'm not gonna drink the whole thing, darling. You can help," Jon replied as he opened the bottle, poured a shot, and slid the glass to me. I looked at the shotglass and back to him.

"There's no drugs in it. I'm not stupid. Besides, if I did put anything in your drink, you think I'd still be standing here?" He had a point. If Colby didn't kill him, Willow certainly would. I looked back down at the shotglass and shrugged. Eh, what the hell? I took it, downed it, and turned the glass upside down. I noticed Jon had a wicked grin on his face and I couldn't help but smile back at him.

"That's my girl!" Jon exclaimed with glee.

"You mean my girl," Colby replied.

"Of course, Mr. Lopez," Jon said sarcastically, which got a giggle out of me and a dirty look from Colby. We sat there in silence for a little while until Colby asked me,

"Where are the girls at?"

I stood up and scanned the club until I spotted them dancing with what looked like two of the guys I worked with.

"Hey, doll!" Stuart (Hugo Knox) yelled.

"There's my Georgia Peach!" Eric (Enzo Amore) said. I rolled my eyes as I gave the guys a hug.

"Eric, you had a broken leg! Why are you here in a club?" I asked him. Eric was signed way before I was and I had just gotten to know him before he broke his leg. Stuart was signed a little bit before I was and he was currently training like I was.

"I needed to get out of my apartment, have some fun. Knoxy over here suggested we come out."

"Yea, then we just happened to see these lovely ladies here," Stuart said, pointing at Willow and Brielle. Willow was undressing Stuart with her eyes and could you blame her? He was tall, handsome and British. Plus, he had an ass that wouldn't quit – not that I've ever told him that.

"Where's Joe and Matt?" I asked Willow.

"Joe isn't coming, which Brielle is kind of upset about but Matt will be here soon," she replied.

"Aww, sorry, Brielle," I told her.

"It's okay – I'll hang out with Eric," she said with a little grin. Oh, boy. Is she developing a crush on him? Not that I'm one to talk, but having a crush on someone while you're with someone else is usually not the best idea.

"I know what you're thinking, Scar. I'll be fine," Brielle said as she touched my arm. I took her hand and squeezed it.

"Okay. I'm gonna head back to Colby and Jon. I think Tucker's around here somewhere."

"I saw him outside with a guy, but it wasn't Aspen," Willow told me.

"Tucker, you little shit," I replied with a grin. I had to go see this. Hopefully, Tucker wasn't getting into trouble because I know he really liked Aspen. I made my way off the dance floor and onto the patio outside and searched for Tucker until I found him with this mystery man Willow told me about.

"There you are, honey! I was looking for you!" I exclaimed. Tucker jumped up suddenly with a shocked look on his face. I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Uh, Tuck? You alright?" I asked.

"I'm fine!" Tucker squeaked out. I stared at him like he had suddenly grown another body part.

"Dude, chill. I just came to check on you. Willow said Matt was coming soon. Where's Aspen?"

"He couldn't come."

"Ah, dude, that sucks. I'm sorry," I told him. I looked down at the guy he was sitting next to.

"So you found another friend to hang out with?" I asked, jerking my head in his direction. The guy stood up and looked at me with a smirk on his face that said he wasn't cocky, just confident and that whatever he did, he did it well. He seemed so sure of himself and it was a bit unnerving.

"I'm Fox," he said as he extended his hand. I took it and he kissed it. I know I'm from the Deep South, but this kissing my hand thing is getting old, I thought.

"Scarlett. You certainly look like a fox," I told him. And he did – he had a look about him that said that he was smart and cunning. Fox also reminded me of, well, Foxface from The Hunger Games.

"Thank you, sweetheart. My parents thought I looked like a fox when I was born, so I was stuck with that name. I don't mind – it's certainly an interesting name and I have lived up to it."

"I bet you have. So what's your interest in Tucker?" I asked, making Tucker stare at me with a shocked look on his face and that same smirk on Fox's face.

"You get right to the point, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. So?"

"So, I'm new to Orlando and Tucker was just telling me what was going on here. I know he's taken, and I respect that. I do have to ask, though… what about you?"

"What about me?" I asked, knowing exactly what he was asking but deciding to play dumb, anyways.

"Are you with someone?"

"Are saying you're into guys and girls?" I wanted to know.

"And everything in between," Fox replied with a wicked grin. "That means I'm pansexual. I don't really care what gender you are."

"Ah, like Captain Jack Harkness!" I shouted with glee, causing Tucker to facepalm and Fox to look at me weird.

"Captain Jack Harkness from Doctor Who and Torchwood!"

"I'm not following."

Before I could explain, Tucker put his hand on my mouth.

"If you ask, we'll be here all night. She will not shut up about Doctor Who. Why don't we go get some drinks?"

"After she answers my question. Are you taken?" I pushed Tucker's hand off my mouth and was about to tell him yes when I felt an arm wrap around my waist. I looked up to see Jon looking down at me while taking a swallow out of his glass.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi. Where's Colby?"

"Oh, just getting mobbed by his adoring fangirls. I managed to escape. I was looking for you, actually."

"Really? Why's that?"

"I wanna dance with you, doll."

"You don't seem the type to dance at a club – or at all. And why me?"

"I dunno. Come on, darling. Come dance with me."

"Is this your guy?" Fox asked me.

"No, he's not. He's the best friend of my guy," I told him.

"Aww, you like me. Admit it," Jon said. I stuck my tongue out at him and Fox said,

"Don't be sticking that tongue out if you're not gonna use it."

"My thoughts exactly!" Jon exclaimed, raising his glass to Fox.

"I'm Fox Archer. I know who you are but I'll let you introduce yourself anyway."

"Archer? I love that show!" I told him.

"Scarlett, no. Please don't," Tucker pleaded.

"I've seen the show. It's hilarious. And, no my middle name is not Sterling or Malory. It's actually Oliver."

"Ha! Oliver Archer. That's funny, actually."

"Oh, like the dude on Arrow?" Jon added.

"Exactly! Oliver Queen, who is an archer. It's a great show!" I said. I could feel my inner fangirl taking over and I didn't care.

"You know, you do kinda look like the girl who plays Oliver's little sister, Thea," Fox said.

"Really? Hmm. I don't really see it, but thanks," I replied with a smile.

"You wanna come dance?" Jon asked.

"Okay, I'll come dance with you. Nice meeting you, Fox. Tucker, don't get in trouble!" I called out as I walked with Jon back into the club. Once we got inside, Jon led me to a secluded area of the club.

"Why are we over here?" I wanted to know.

"It's a little more private," Jon told me as he set his glass down. A girl in a skimpy outfit walked by, picked up his empty glass and set two full ones down and walked off with a smile.

"Private, huh? Why's that?"

"I told you, I wanted to dance with you."

"By ourselves?"

"Yes. Here we are," Jon said. He pressed a button on what looked like a sound system and a song I had not heard in a long time came on.

"I thought you hated pop music?" I asked Jon.

"I do. But you don't and I really, really wanna dance with you."

"I can't believe you picked this song," I said through fits of laughter.

"Why?"

"I dance to this song at home – usually at 3 in the morning in my underwear while I'm trying to clean my room," I said as I started dancing.

"I've got to see that," Jon said as he attempted to dance to Tone Loc's "Wild Thing."

" _Let's do it_

 _Workin' all week_

 _9 to 5 for my money_

 _So when the weekend comes_

 _I go get live with the honeys_

 _Rollin' down the street_

 _I saw this girl and she was pumpin'_

 _I winked my eye, she got into the ride_

 _Went to a club was jumpin'_

 _Introduce myself as Loc_

 _She said "You're a liar"_

 _I said "I got it goin' on baby doll_

 _And I'm on fire"_

 _Took her to the hotel she said_

 _"You're the king"_

 _I said, "Be my queen if you know what I mean_

 _And let's do the wild thing"_

 _Wild thing_

 _Wild thing_ "

We danced around in the private room for a while, going through classic songs like "Dancing With Myself" by Billy Idol.

We were sitting down on the sofa, having a drink when Willow popped in.

"There you are! Come on, they're starting a throwback dance party!"

"Oh my god. We just got done dancing to old songs," I said with a laugh.

"Yea, but Brielle and I requested this one special!" I narrowed my eyes at my best friend. She may be black, but her tastes in music are highly eclectic, so there was no telling what she had up her sleeve.

"Oh, god. Okay, I'm coming. Come on, Jon," I said, extending my hand to him. He took it and stood up. We all walked out of the private room and onto the dance floor, where the DJ was announcing the start of the throwback dance party.

"Okay, guys! We're gonna take this one all the way back to 1992! Some of y'all may have just been born and some of y'all may have been around since then. Let's do it!" We noticed the DJ give Willow a thumbs up as he set up for the next song.

"What are you planning?" I asked. I saw Colby standing there and it looked like he was trying to keep from laughing.

"Come on!" Willow cried as she led me to the center of the dance floor as the first strains of "Achy Breaky Heart" came on.

"I fucking hate you!"

"You love me! Now, come on! I'm not doing this dance by myself!"

"We did this dance when we were 5!"

"Just do it!"

"Aaahhh!" I yelled at her as I got into place to recreate the famous line dance from the old country song.

" _You can tell the world you never was my girl_

 _You can burn my clothes up when I'm gone_

 _You can tell your friends just what a fool I've been_

 _And laugh and joke about me on the phone_

 _You can tell my arms go back to the farm_

 _You can tell my feet to hit the floor_

 _Or you can tell my lips to tell my fingertips_

 _They won't be reaching out for you no more_

 _But don't tell my heart_

 _My achy breaky heart_

 _I just don't think he'd understand_

 _And if you tell my heart_

 _My achy breaky heart_

 _He might blow up and kill this man_ "

When the song was over, the entire club applauded us. Willow and I took a bow and walked off to the bar.

"That was amazing," Colby said as he kissed me. I kissed him back and hugged him.

"Thank you," I told him.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Jon asked.

"When you live in the South during the 90s, you learn to love country music. My mom played them all – Alan Jackson, Shania Twain, Billy Ray Cyrus, Garth Brooks, Brooks and Dunn, Reba, you name it. Willow over here was the same way, except she was exposed to a lot more types of music."

"My dad loves listening to classic rock and my mom loved Elvis and the Beatles, along with the pop music of the time, so we got a great music education growing up," Willow said.

"What I wanna know is how y'all managed that dance," Jon said with a laugh.

"Willow and I were about 5 years old, and we were at my house playing one day. My mom had CMT on and the video was playing and we decided to imitate the dance. My mom got it on video, which she never fails to embarrass me with," I said.

"No, the video she likes to embarrass you with is the one where you were four and dancing to "Old Time Rock and Roll." Remember that?"

I glared at her as I said,

"We don't speak about that, okay?"

"I fucking love that song!" Jon exclaimed. I groaned as I facepalmed.

"Of course you would," I grumbled.

"I really have to see this video now," Colby said with a grin on his face. That got him a punch in the stomach. _**Author's note: the video they are talking about does exist and I was the star of it. Thankfully, my mom has not converted it to a DVD – yet. Also, I hate that song with a burning passion.**_

That made Jon and the girls laugh.

"Matt!" Willow squealed as she saw her boyfriend come up beside Colby.

"Hey, man," Colby said as he shook Matt's hand. "Do alright tonight?"

"Yea, I did okay. I won, so there's that. Now I'm here to see my favorite girl." Matt walked over to Willow and kissed her while I made mock gagging noises behind her back.

"Like you and Colby don't make out?" Willow said sarcastically when she finished kissing Matt.

"Not like that," I replied with the same amount of snarkiness.

"Yea, right."

"Ladies, please," Matt said with a laugh.

"Sorry, Willow," I apologized.

"It's all good," Willow replied.

"Oh my god! I love this song!" Willow cried out.

"What is it?" I asked.

"That new Trey Songz one!"

"Is that the one where he did that video with Nikki and Brie?"

"Yep, that's the one!"

"Colby! Come dance with me, baby!" I exclaimed as I pulled him onto the dance floor.

"Aww, come on!" Colby mock-whined.

"Shut up and dance with me!" I told him. He did – not so well, though but I didn't care because he was with me and that was all that mattered.

" _Ooh nana_

 _Look what you did start it_

 _Ooh nana_

 _Why you gotta act so naughty_

 _Ooh nana_

 _I'm ''bout to spend all this cash_

 _Ooh nana_

 _If you keep shaking that oh oh!_

 _Ooh nana_

 _Put your hands in the air if you're loving tonight_

 _Ooh nana_

 _Keep your hands in the air if you're spending the night_

 _Ooh nana now na na na_

 _Everybody say it like_

 _Ooh nana now na na na_

 _Everybody say_

 _Baby I'm the one you lying_

 _I'mma get you as a liar_

 _Oh yeah_

 _I'mma give it to you right now_

 _Best time oh your life, yeah, oh yeah_

 _Baby when you ready tell the waitress get the check_

 _Girl I know you ready I don't even gotta check_

 _You been through the worst let me show you who the best_

 _You know I'mma get you right, get them boys to the left, like_ "

The entire club was dancing along to the hottest single but I wasn't paying attention to them – it was all about Colby. Although, at one point during the song, I noticed Fox dancing with Tucker and Tucker seemed like he was enjoying it. I just might have to keep my eye on Fox before he and Tucker do something stupid – not that I had any room to talk.

After the song was over, Colby pulled me in close and kissed me. I kissed him back, pushing my hands through his two-toned hair and feeling his strong arms wrap around me to pull me closer. I couldn't help myself – I was falling for him and I couldn't stop myself. It wasn't love – yet, but I knew if we kept going like this, it would be love. I was a little scared but I had a good feeling Colby felt the same way.

We spent the next hour and a half dancing on the dance floor and drinking. I, for one, was amazed at how much whiskey Jon could drink without barfing. I had to stop Brielle from drinking too much because she turned into a giggly, talkative overgrown child if she drank too much (author's note: literally me). It was hilarious to watch but she usually ended up running into something or barfing. Amazingly, she's never had a hangover before, but I always end up running out of fruit the next morning when she drinks.

We said goodbye to Stuart and Eric on our way out the door. Once we reached the parking lot, Willow decided to go to Matt's apartment and Tucker left with Fox, which left me alone with Jon and Colby – again. Not that I minded, but Jon was starting to get under my skin and I . . . kinda liked it.

"Ready to go home?" Colby asked.

"Yea, I am. Let's get something to eat first, okay?" I replied.

"Sure thing, darling. Give me your keys."

"Why?" I wanted to know as I handed him the keys.

"You've been drinking. I'm the designated driver. Jon sure as hell isn't gonna drive us home," Colby said, using my key to point at Jon.

"Hi," he slurred. I rolled my eyes as Colby unlocked the door and pressed the button to unlock the other doors. I helped Jon into the backseat and was about to close the door when Jon grabbed my hand.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Come sit back here with me, baby doll," Jon said.

"So a dance wasn't enough for you?" I wanted to know.

"I can never get enough of you, Scarlett," was his reply.

I rolled my eyes again but got into the backseat next to him.

"Seatbelt, dude," I said as I pointed at Jon's seatbelt. Jon went to click it but fumbled with the belt and the buckle. I groaned in exasperation as I reached over to put his seatbelt on.

"Are you always this much of a mess when you're drinking?" I asked as I leaned back in my seat to put my own seatbelt on.

"Usually, I'm going home with Renee or someone else, but yea. Pretty much." I shook my head as I tried to suppress a laugh. Colby started the car and drove until we found an IHOP.

"Ah, Waffle House. The only place to go after drinking all night," Jon crowed.

"This isn't Waffle House, dude. It's IHOP," Colby said.

"Damn. Well, this is good too. I thought they weren't open 24 hours, though?"

"They are on Friday and Saturday," I told him as I unclicked his seatbelt and took mine off. Jon nodded and followed us into the restaurant. A few minutes later, the guys had a stack of pancakes, along with what looked like everything else on the menu and a huge pot of coffee, which I think was mostly for Jon.

I had strawberry banana pancakes as well as the strawberry banana French toast and a French vanilla coffee. You know how sometimes when people drink, they get insanely hungry? Well, that was me, but Jon? Good lord, that boy can eat. He devoured his pancakes, along with his steak and eggs meal, and was now working on some French toast. Colby was stone cold sober but he put away just as much food, if not more.

"You okay over there?" Colby asked. I looked up from my pancakes and smiled.

"I'm fine. Why?"

"You looked like you were off somewhere else. What were you thinking about?"

"Honestly, nothing but going to bed. Also, this food is great," I replied.

Colby bit his lip as he contemplated my answer. I reached over and took his hand.

"I'm okay. I don't talk too much when I've been drinking, unlike Brielle."

"Yea, I noticed she was getting silly as the night went on," Colby told me.

"She gets that way when she drinks. She doesn't drink all that often, so when she does get to drink, she gets a little goofy. It's cute."

"It is a little cute. You ready to get out of here?"

"Yea, let's go." We tipped the waitress and left IHOP. On the way home, Jon fell asleep with his head on my lap. I'm pretty sure he did that on purpose and Colby actually gave him dirty looks at one point while he was stopped at a red light. I didn't mind. I absentmindedly stroked his dirty blonde hair, which was surprisingly soft as I stared out the window, watching the streetlights illuminate the roads.

When we got to my house, I gently moved Jon off of my lap so I could get out.

"Ummm…" Jon moaned softly. "Where are we?" he asked sleepily. Aww, his sleepy voice was cute. Whoa. No. Nope. Not going there, dude.

"We're at home, sleepyhead," I said, reaching over to ruffle his hair. Jon gave me an adorable sleepy smile as he nodded. He slowly climbed out of the truck and followed me into the house, where he promptly passed out facedown on the couch with all of his clothes. I couldn't resist laughing at him.

"Now I see why the girls like him," I said.

"He's okay," Colby replied, shrugging his shoulders. "You coming to bed?"

"You're only gonna get two hours of sleep, baby. You'll be iller than a hornet's nest that's been messed with," I told him.

"I'll be fine. I stayed up 36 hours straight before. I think two hours of sleep will be great. You coming?"

"Yea, let me fix Jon some water and take his shoes off. I'll be there in a minute." I kissed Colby and went to the kitchen to get Jon some water and ibuprofen. I'll be very surprised if he doesn't have at least a raging headache in the morning. I took the medicine and water back into the living room and set it down on the table. I then walked over to Jon and took his shoes and jacket off and put those on the chair next to the couch. I took a blanket that was laying on the back of the couch and draped it over him. Going against my better instincts, I bent down to kiss Jon on the forehead.

"Goodnight, Jon. Sweet dreams," I whispered. Jon opened his eyes slightly and he laid his hand on my cheek.

"Goodnight, Scarlett. Is Colby gone?"

"He's in my room. Why?"

"Come closer. I gotta tell you a secret," Jon whispered. I rolled my eyes but leaned closer anyways. Before I could ask what the secret was, Jon kissed me on the lips. It was but I could taste the whiskey and coffee on his lips. I liked that taste and I knew I shouldn't. I got up so I wouldn't be tempted to kiss him again or lay down with him.

"Sweet dreams, darling," Jon mumbled.

I made my way into my room, where Colby was already in bed snoring lightly. I climbed into bed beside him and laid my head on his chest. I knew I had to stop Jon from kissing me but I didn't want to. That was wrong. What was even weirder was that I think I'm starting to have feelings for Jon, too, but I'm entirely sure those were physical. I managed to push those thoughts out of my mind as I snuggled closer to my boyfriend for the little bit of time we had left together until he left again.


End file.
